Senator Pat Toomey announced today that he is co-sponsoring the “Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act” that will seek to punish Iran if they renege on their nuclear commitments.

“The Iranians have a long track record of delaying and cheating,” said Sen. Toomey. “Strong sanctions brought Iran to the negotiating table, and sanctions are indispensable to a successful diplomatic outcome. The combination of tough sanctions and diplomacy is the only conceivable way, short of armed conflict, to achieve the U.S. and U.N. objective of ending Iran’s nuclear weapons program.”

Fellow Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey is an original a cosponsor of the bill.

“Tough sanctions, that I have worked with colleagues from both parties to impose on the regime, are the prime reason there is any engagement at all.  At this time, I see no reason to let up the pressure,” Casey said.

Toomey is the 34th co-sponsor of the bill, which is backed by 20 Republicans and 14 Democrats.

The Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act was introduced by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) last month after the Obama Administration announced an agreement with Iran that involved the U.S. temporarily easing sanctions in exchange for Iran temporarily stopping their nuclear enrichment programs. This pause would allow for negotiations headed by Secretary of State John Kerry to get Iran to sign a treaty forgoing the building and use of nuclear weapons.

The legislation would serve as a sanctions-in-waiting bill that would impose new burdens on the Iranian regime if they should go back on the agreement or if the treaty with the U.S. does not allow the full dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and regular inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.