States may continue Iran sanctions despite deal

Local legislation eyes foreign companies as main target of rules

As the United States and Iran come closer to a historic nuclear deal, many US states are likely to stick with their own sanctions on Iran, complicating any warming of relations between the longtime foes.

Around two dozen states have enacted measures punishing companies operating in certain sectors of Iran's economy, ordering public pension funds to divest from the firms and sometimes barring them from public contracts.