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U.S. President Donald Trump has signed into law a sanctions bill he declared is “significantly flawed,” with "clearly unconstitutional provisions." The bill, aimed at penalizing Moscow for its interference in last year's U.S. election, imposes fresh sanctions on Russia as well as Iran and North Korea. It also restricts the president's authority to lift the sanctions without consulting Congress. “By limiting the executive's flexibility, this bill makes it harder for the United States to strike good deals for the American people, and will drive China, Russia, and North Korea much closer together,” Trump said in one of a pair of statements the White House issued Wednesday. “Despite its problems, I am signing the bill for the sake of national unity,” the president's statement said. “Since this bill was first introduced, I have expressed my concerns to Congress about the many ways it improperly encroaches on executive power, disadvantages American companies and hurts the interests of our European allies.” The bill Trump signed was also characterized in one of the White House statements as sending “a clear message to Iran and North Korea that the American people will not tolerate their dangerous and destabilizing behavior. America will continue to work closely with our friends and allies to check those countries' malignant activities,” the statement said. There was no immediate reaction from North Korea. A senior government official in Tehran was quoted as saying the new U.S. sanctions violate the nuclear deal Iran reached with the United States and other major world powers two years ago, and that there would be a response from Iran's leaders "in an appropriate and proportional manner.” | 
