A bipartisan legislation was introduced Thursday at the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee to prevent Iran and its proxy groups from acquiring lethal drones.

The Committee’s ranking member Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Chairman Bob Menedez (D-NJ) introduced the Senate version of the Stop Iranian Drones Act of 2021, which passed the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on December 10.

A statement by the Foreign Relations Committee said the legislation “seeks to amend the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) to include any action that seeks to advance Iran’s UAV program...as sanctionable under U.S. law.”

In an interview with the Associated Press on December 10, commander of CENTCOM Gen. Kenneth McKenzie also expressed concern over the growing capabilities of Iranian missiles and drones.

Iran’s military drone program has expanded in recent years and UAV’s have been more frequently used in attacks in recent months both on land and at sea. Several attacks in Iraq and at least one attack in Syria have targeted US forces.

Senator Risch said, “As we saw with recent Iranian-sponsored drone attacks on American troops and the Iraqi Prime Minister, as well as the constant attacks on Saudi Arabia, Iran’s armed drone capability presents a growing threat to the Middle East.