Lawmakers urge Biden to promptly unload Iranian oil tanker.
Lawmakers Urge President Biden to Resolve Delay in Seizure of Iranian Oil and Gas Shipments
A bipartisan and bicameral letter was sent to President Joe Biden on Wednesday, urging him to take action on the delay in the seizure of Iranian oil and gas shipments currently sitting in a tanker off the coast of Texas.
Earlier this year, the United States government seized the tanker Suez Rajan after it was caught transferring sanctioned Iranian oil off Singapore. The plan was to offload the ship and its cargo in Houston, with the oil profits going towards victims of terrorism. However, U.S. companies are hesitant to touch or unload the cargo due to concerns of potential retribution from Iran, which has previously harassed and seized foreign tankers in the region.
“The ability for a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) to prevent the transfer of seized assets within U.S. territorial waters is an unprecedented intimidation effort that threatens to undermine our Nation’s security,” the lawmakers write in their letter.
“We request that you work expeditiously to resolve the delay in the transfer of seized oil from the Suez Rajan and continue to enforce the law against Foreign Terrorist Organizations, such as the IRGC. The enforcement of petroleum sanctions will become irrelevant if American citizens and companies involved live in fear of Iranian retaliation,” they added.
The letter, signed by Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), as well as Representatives Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Jim Banks (R-IN), Don Davis (D-NC), and Max Miller (R-OH), also requests a briefing on the progress of transferring the seized oil to U.S. custody and a detailed timeline of the incident and the U.S.’s response to threats from Iran.
“President Biden must answer for Iran’s increased aggression because Americans deserve to know their lives and livelihoods will be protected against terrorists’ intimidation,” said Senator Ernst in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
Senator Ernst and Senator Blumenthal previously expressed concern in a letter to President Biden about the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations office being constrained in its ability to seize Iranian oil shipments. The senators claim that the office has not been provided the necessary funding to carry out these seizures.
This latest letter from lawmakers comes as the Biden administration’s deal to bring imprisoned Americans home from Iran in exchange for access to frozen assets and the release of imprisoned Iranians is facing criticism from Republicans.
“The Biden administration’s failure to enforce sanctions on Iran has made the world a less safe place,” said Senator Ernst. “I have called on President Biden to stand up to Iran and enforce our sanctions for months. Instead, he has doubled down on his posture of appeasement by incentivizing their hostage ‘diplomacy,’ allowing Iran to increase funding for their terrorist activities, and emboldening the IRGC to intimidate American companies in our own waters.”
The U.S. military has responded to recent Iranian attempts to seize commercial vessels by sending additional warships and thousands of Marines to the Middle East.
In early July, Iranian vessels approached two oil tankers in international waters, but the U.S. Navy’s presence deterred any further escalation.
Over the past two years, Iran has been involved in multiple incidents of attacking or attempting to seize internationally flagged merchant vessels in the region.
Source: The Washington Examiner
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