The House passed the bill, which has yet to clear the Senate, by a 412-12 margin with four voting present. A top US Senator said recently that body will not act on Iran sanctions in 2009.
Iran gets most of those imports from the Swiss firm Vitol, the Swiss/Dutch firm Trafigura, France's Total, the Swiss firm Glencore and British Petroleum, as well as the Indian firm Reliance.
Berman, the measure's lead author and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said US lawmakers had to act because Iran had rejected Obama's attempts at engagement with "contempt."
Democratic Representative Stephen Lynch criticized the bill, comparing it to the US embargo on Cuba and warning it would cause Iranians to "rally around the flag" against the United States and "undermine" pro-democracy protestors.
"This will unify the Iranian people against us," agreed Republican Representative Ron Paul, another foe of the measure.
