The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that would tighten sanctions against Iran.

The bill, sponsored by Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from Florida, was approved by a vote of 397-21.

The legislation in effect alters the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act by strengthening sanctions against Iran while taking away restrictions on Libya, which is now cooperating with the West in eliminating weapons of mass destruction, an Associated Press report said.

The bill said sanctions will be imposed on any person exporting or supplying to Iran goods or technology that help the country obtain weapons of mass destruction, and US aid will be denied to countries that invested in Iran's energy sector.

The measure, which must be taken up at the Senate, gives the president the authority to waive such a ban on national security grounds.

(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2006)