Schiff Leads Bipartisan Letter Calling On State Department to Use All Available Tools to Enforce Sanctions Against Iran
Washington, D.C.— Today, Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) led a bipartisan letter with Representatives Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), and Young Kim (R-Calif.) calling on the State Department to use all available tools at its disposal to enforce sanctions against Iran, particularly as it pertains to Iranian exports of oil to China.
“Due to its history of malign actions in the region and beyond, Iran currently faces a range of sanctions that include the blocking of Iranian assets in the United States, the banning of almost all U.S. trade with Iran, and the prohibition of U.S. foreign assistance and arms sales to Iran. Additionally, U.S. law authorizes sanctions targeting Iran’s energy sector, including foreign corporations that buy, sell, or transport Iranian oil,” wrote the lawmakers.
“But without full implementation and enforcement of U.S. sanctions authority, oil sales will continue to be Iran’s primary source of revenue. Iran currently has an oil output of 3.2 million barrels per day—the highest production rate since 2018—and it is exporting about 1.5 million barrels per day to 17 countries. Recently, Iran has sent small shipments of oil to Syria, Bangladesh, and Oman. However, Iran is suspected of selling most of its crude oil to China, which does not recognize U.S. sanctions against Iran. In the first quarter of 2024, ‘almost all’ of Iran’s petroleum exports went to China,” continued the lawmakers.
“We urgently ask that you prioritize the U.S. Government’s efforts to identify the means by which Iran is able to export its petroleum products and then use all available tools against individuals and companies engaged in those activities. Existing sanctions must be more effectively enforced in order to promptly secure an end to Iran’s ability to circumvent these trade restrictions. Otherwise, Iran will continue to use its oil revenues to provide material support to its terrorist proxies, such as Hamas, Hizballah, and the Houthis,” concluded the lawmakers.
In the letter, Schiff and the lawmakers point to the new sanctions authorities, the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act and the Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act, established in the bipartisan supplemental national security package passed in April. The SHIP Act sanctions target ports and refineries that process illicit Iranian oil, while Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act sanctions target Chinese financial institutions that process transactions involving Iranian oil.
Read the full letter HERE.
###