New penalties against Iran approved

? Congress on Thursday overwhelmingly passed tough new sanctions against Iran, sending a message to the Tehran government that notions of becoming a nuclear power could be accompanied by a steep economic price.

The Senate and House in quick succession approved the penalties that focus on Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard and the country’s imports of gas and other refined energy products.

The measure now goes to the White House for President Barack Obama’s signature.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the legislation, coming after a year in which the Obama administration’s direct diplomacy efforts were largely rebuffed by Iran, represented “the most powerful sanctions ever imposed by the Congress on the government of Iran.”

Foreign companies will be given a choice, McCain said. “Do you want to do business with Iran, or do you want to do business with the United States?”