This week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., championed a proposal that “would sanction illicit purchases of Iranian oil and hold the regime’s enablers accountable.”
Rubio brought out the “Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act” and his office offered some of the reasons behind the new bill.
“According to reports, as of February 2023, Chinese refineries were processing, refining, or engaging with approximately 1.2 million barrels of Iranian oil per day. Iranian oil sales to China’s genocidal regime fund the Ayatollah’s ability to repress Iranian protestors,” Rubio’s office noted.
The bill “sets a statement of policy that the United States should deny Iran the ability to engage in destabilizing activities; imposes sanctions against entities that engage in the illicit Iranian oil trade, such as through ship-to-ship transfers of oil, entities that own refineries the processes Iranian oil, as well as entities that are included on the Treasury Department’s SDN list; and requires a report from the administration on increase of exports of petroleum and petroleum products from Iran.”
“As the regime in Tehran continues to enrich itself through the sale of sanctioned oil, we must ensure that U.S. sanctions on all individuals and entities linked to the illicit trade of Iranian oil are rigorously enforced,” said Rubio.
U.S. Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-NH, and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., are co-sponsoring Rubio’s proposal.
“We must do everything that we can to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon and stop its support of terrorism. This bipartisan legislation will strengthen sanctions on Iranian oil – a key revenue source for the regime – and make the United States and our allies, including Israel, safer,” said Hassan.
“Iran has been unrelenting in its pursuit of nuclear weapons and its support for terrorist groups. To achieve these goals, Iran relies on funds from illicit oil sales that violate U.S. sanctions. This bipartisan legislation will strengthen sanctions on ports and refineries that receive and process Iranian oil and will help reign in Iran’s ability to engage in destabilizing activities,” said Rosen.
The bill was sent to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-NY, introduced the bill in the U.S. House with Moskowtiz as the main co-sponsor.
“The SHIP Act will unequivocally sink Iran’s aspirations of regional dominance and poke holes in their trade relationships. This legislation should serve as a warning shot across the bow for Iran and China and I am hopeful that every member of Congress will show support for this commonsense measure,” said Lawler.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran funds terror and hate across the world through their international petroleum exports. This legislation will impose additional sanctions and deny Iran the ability to destabilize activities across the region, fund terrorist groups, violate human rights, and commit acts of oppression. All foreign adversaries better think twice if they believe they can finance and facilitate terror and get away with it,” said Moskowitz.
Twenty other members of the House, including U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., are co-sponsoring the bill.
Lawler’s proposal was sent to the U.S. House Foreign Affairs and the Judiciary Committees.
