U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) have joined Republican colleagues in calling on President Biden to immediately enforce oil sanctions on Iran as mandated by Congress.
Wicker and Hyde-Smith are among 18 Senators who signed a letter to Biden that also urges the administration to permanently freeze the $6 billion funding mechanism established in September’s hostage agreement with Iran. The letter was spearheaded by U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.).
“For far too long, Iran has evaded consequence for its complacency in funding radical terror,” the Senators wrote. “To prevent further atrocities and to fulfill our promise of providing unwavering support to our most important ally in the Middle East, we urge your administration to take the necessary means in severing financial avenues available to Iran, specifically cracking down on oil exports.”
The letter cites a September 2023 Bloomberg Report that indicates U.S. officials “have privately acknowledged a gradual relaxation of enforcement on Iranian oil sales.”
“Any relaxation of Congressionally-mandated sanctions against Iran while funding flows to terror organizations is wholly unacceptable,” the Senators wrote. “The world is now seeing the direct result of allowing Iran’s oil revenues to grow and unfreezing billions of dollars in its extraterritorial bank accounts. Congress has a responsibility to ensure sanctions are not only on the books but enforced to their fullest extent. As our trusted ally Israel endures devastation, we must prioritize enforcing all economic sanctions and restricting Iranian oil revenue.”
The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators John Barrasso, M.D. (R-Wyo.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R- W.Va.), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).
