Obama: US will come down ‘like a ton of bricks’ on companies that violate Iran sanctions

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says companies that explore business possibilities in Iran do so at their own risk. He says if they violate sanctions against Tehran, the U.S. will come down on them “like a ton of bricks.”

Obama made his remarks during a joint news conference with French President Francois Hollande.

The United States and France are among the countries who signed an interim nuclear agreement that halts progress on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for easing international sanctions. Talks on a final deal begin next week in Vienna.

The Obama administration has objected to the interest French businesses have shown in Iran since the sanctions were eased. More than 100 French executives visited Tehran last week, a trip Secretary of State John Kerry called “not helpful.”