Senate Bans Proposed Iranian Ambassador To The U.S.

The Senate approves a bill to bar the man Iran has assigned to be the next ambassador to the United States. It was a rare bipartisan move. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). He argued the nominee, Hamid Aboutalebi, participated in the 1979 seizure of the American embassy in Tehran. Cruz was joined by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Aboutalebi reportedly has argued his role in the seizure was only translator and negotiator. Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for more than a year. Cruz calls the nomination a deliberate and unambiguous insult to the United States.