Tennessee Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined eight colleagues in sending a letter to President Joe Biden demanding that he enforce mandatory sanctions against the growing fleet of oil tankers selling Iranian oil and against the entities purchasing this oil.
According to a Monday press release by Senator Hagerty’s office, President Biden has so far refused to take action against the sharp rise in Iranian oil exports since he took office.
In part, the senators wrote in the letter, “The vessel owners and their customers in China are taking greater risks because they believe that your administration is too weak and indecisive to punish them for their crimes. Your unwillingness to take actions that could jeopardize the doomed Vienna nuclear talks has undeniably emboldened these criminals. Meanwhile, the boom in oil sales has refilled the Iranian regime’s once-empty coffers, removed crucial American leverage over Iran, and encouraged the Iranians to stall negotiations in Vienna and irreversibly advance their pursuit of a nuclear weapon. It is long past time to stop your dithering. You are putting U.S. national security at risk.”
“We urge you to enforce U.S. sanctions against entities that purchase Iranian oil and against those foreign-flagged oil tankers which keep Iran’s illicit oil trade alive. Each day you delay gives Iran more money to finance their terrorist activity and more time to develop a nuclear weapon. We would also remind you that sanctions against Iran’s oil exports are mandatory and passed Congress with bipartisan majorities. You are not above the law and must stop violating it,” the senators continued.
Joining Senators Blackburn and Hagerty in sending the letter include Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chuck Grassley (R-AI), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Braun (R-IN), and John Cornyn (R-TX).
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]
Marsha Blackburn is in it to line her pockets and those of her family and friend. She isn’t interested in getting anything accomplished, only money for herself and fighting the other side! I will never believe anything that comes out of her mouth.