Duval Times

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) have joined forces with a group of bipartisan colleagues to call on President Joe Biden to strengthen the enforcement of sanctions against Iran. The senators have sent a letter to President Biden urging him to take action against Iran's illicit oil trade through sanctions and to support proposed legislation pending in the U.S. Senate.

The letter states, "Our bipartisan Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum Act, or SHIP Act, the End Iranian Terrorism Act, and other legislative proposals would deny Iran the financial resources it employs to attack U.S. forces and U.S. allies throughout the Middle East. We urge you to use all available authorities to proactively implement these sanctions while Congress considers enacting legislation."

The senators emphasize the importance of strengthening sanctions on Iranian oil, especially in light of the ongoing attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East by Iranian-backed groups. They highlight that there have been more than 140 attacks on U.S. troops in the region since October 7, 2023, resulting in tragic deaths and injuries.

Joining Rubio and Hassan in this call to action are Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Bob Casey (D-PA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Fetterman (D-PA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rick Scott (R-FL), Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Pete Ricketts (R-NE).

The senators are urging President Biden to maximize efforts to prevent illicit trade in Iranian oil by implementing and enforcing sanctions on ships, ports, and refineries involved in dealing with Iranian oil. They highlight that Iran's financial resources are being used to support terrorism and destabilize the Middle East.

The letter states, "In response to the October 7 attacks, and Iran’s subsequent mobilization of its terrorist proxy forces across the region, we urge your administration to take immediate action to deny the regime in Iran additional financial resources that it can use to continue supporting terrorism, destabilizing the Middle East, and ultimately harming Americans."

The senators point out that Iran is exporting over 1.4 million barrels of crude oil per day, with two-thirds of it ending up in China. They highlight that Iran has taken in at least $88 billion from these illicit oil exports from February 2021 to October 2023. The senators emphasize that Iran's growing economy and increased foreign currency reserves are a result of sanctions evasion.

The senators stress that strengthening sanctions on Iranian oil is crucial, given the ongoing attacks on U.S. forces by Iranian-backed groups. They mention that these attacks are enabled by the financial and military support provided by Iran to militias and other groups in the region.

The senators call on President Biden to take immediate action to stop Iran's illicit oil trade. They specifically urge him to sanction ships transporting Iranian petroleum products, as well as foreign ports and refineries that knowingly accept those products.

In conclusion, the senators express their gratitude to President Biden for his attention to this important matter and emphasize the urgency of taking action to stop Iran's funneling of lucrative oil exports to finance terror. They state, "These exports provide a crucial lifeline to sustain and expand Iran’s sponsorship of terrorist groups whose objective is to harm U.S. interests in the Middle East and to destroy our ally, Israel."