Baldwin Presses Biden Administration to Crack Down on Iran, Enforce Oil and Weapons Restrictions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and a bipartisan group of Senators urged the Biden administration to crack down on Iran and address the delayed implementation of their recently passed law that ensures Iran does not benefit financially from the petroleum trade and have further ability to fund terrorism.

“For decades, there has been evidence that Iran has funded direct attacks on America and our allies. Since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Iran has only become more emboldened to act against democratic interests across the globe,” the Senators wrote.

“Due to the quantity of oil that Iran is able to trade and the subsequent profits, as well as their historical pattern of utilizing these funds to foster violence and chaos, it is vital that the United States take concrete action to disrupt their petroleum trade. Therefore, we ask the administration to honor the reporting deadlines and enforcement requirements prescribed within the SHIP and Fight CRIME Acts that were included in H.R. 815, the emergency supplemental appropriations,” the Senators continued.

On April 23, 2024, Congress passed H.R. 815, an emergency supplemental appropriation for Fiscal Year 2024, that was signed into law by President Biden on April 24 and included legislation to strengthen U.S. national security, including the Fight and Combat Rampant Iranian Missile Exports (Fight CRIME) Act and Senator Baldwin’s Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act.

The SHIP Act includes important provisions to sanction foreign persons that knowingly engage in the petroleum trade with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Fight CRIME Act restricts certain missile-related activities and transfers by Iran. The bills include a number of reporting deadlines and enforcement requirements from the administration in order for Congress to track efforts to deny Iran the resources and ability to engage in destabilizing activities, commit human rights violations, support international terrorism, and fund weapons development.

The letter was led by Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and also signed by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and John Hoeven (R-ND).

A full version of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Secretary Blinken, Secretary Yellen, Acting Director Palluconi, and Administrator DeCarolis:

On April 23, 2024, Congress passed H.R. 815, an emergency supplemental appropriation for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, that was signed into law by President Biden on April 24. The supplemental package included additional funding for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and humanitarian assistance. The national security package also included legislation to strengthen U.S. national security, including the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act and the Fight and Combat Rampant Iranian Missile Exports (Fight CRIME) Act. The SHIP Act includes important provisions to sanction foreign persons that knowingly engage in the petroleum trade with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Fight CRIME Act restricts certain missile-related activities and transfers by Iran. The legislation includes a number of regulation publishing and reporting requirements from the administration in order for Congress to track efforts to deny Iran the resources and ability to engage in destabilizing activities, commit human rights violations, support international terrorism, and fund weapons development.

For decades, there has been evidence that Iran has funded direct attacks on America and our allies. Since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Iran has only become more emboldened to act against democratic interests across the globe. To cite just two recent events, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed in its August 2024 report that Iran continues to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium, and on September 10, 2024, the Pentagon confirmed reports that Iran has transferred shipments of Fath 360 close-range ballistic missiles to Russia to support their continued aggression against Ukraine. Iran is able to further these disrupting activities due to profits from their oil trade. According to United Against Nuclear Iran, a non-partisan watchdog organization that tracks Iranian oil shipment, Iran exported 1,626,866 barrels per day in August 2024. Due to the quantity of oil that Iran is able to trade and the subsequent profits, as well as their historical pattern of utilizing these funds to foster violence and chaos, it is vital that the United States take concrete action to disrupt their petroleum trade. Therefore, we ask the administration to honor the reporting deadlines and enforcement requirements prescribed within the SHIP and Fight CRIME Acts that were included in H.R. 815, the emergency supplemental appropriations.

To date, the administration has not met the following deadlines:

• By July 23, 2024 (90 after enactment, and every 180 days thereafter), the Secretary of State shall provide a report that identifies Iranian persons utilizing an unmanned combat aerial vehicle against a United States citizen. P.L. 118-50, Div. K Sec.6(a)
• By August 12, 2024 (10 days before regulation enactment), the President shall notify the appropriate Congressional committees of the proposed regulations to combat proliferation of Iranian missiles. P.L. 118-50, Div. K Sec. 5(f)(2)
• By August 22, 2024 (120 days after enactment), the President shall promulgate regulations as necessary for the implementation of sanctions to combat proliferation of Iranian missiles. P.L. 118-50, Div. K Sec. 5(f)(1)
• By August 22, 2024 (120 days after enactment, and annually thereafter), the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration shall submit a report describing Iran’s growing exports of petroleum and petroleum products, including their exports to the People’s Republic of China and the ships and ports involved in the oil sales. P.L. 118- 50, Div. J Sec. 4(a)
• By August 22, 2024 (120 days after enactment), the Secretary of State shall submit written strategy on the role of the People’s Republic of China’s role in evading U.S.- imposed sanctions on Iranian-origin petroleum products. P.L. 118-50, Div. J Sec. 5

The following deadlines are upcoming within the next 30 days:

• By October 11, 2024, (10 days before regulation enactment) the President shall notify and brief the appropriate Congressional Committees on the regulations to be established to implement the SHIP Act. P.L. 118-50, Div. J Sec. 3(e)(2)
• By October 21, 2024 (180 days after enactment), the President shall prescribe necessary regulations to implement sanctions enforcement. P.L. 118-50, Div. J Sec. 3(e)(2)
• On and after October 21, 2024 (180 days after enactment), the President shall impose sanctions on foreign persons determined to have knowingly engaged in the Iranian petroleum trade. P.L. 118-50, Div. J Sec. 3(a)

Given the havoc Iran is wreaking in the Middle East and the wider region, this information is both timely and vital for Congress to carry out appropriate sanctions oversight and understand what greater legislative action is required to ensure Iran does not have the resources to harm the United States or our partners and allies. We look forward to these timely reports and enhanced understanding of the administration’s plan to counter Iranian oil trade and accessible revenue for their funding of terrorism. We ask that you honor the October deadlines and work to address the deadlines already missed in order to provide Congress with the relevant reports as quickly as possible.

We further request that you provide our offices an update on your efforts and when to expect these reports no later than October 29, 2024. Thank you for your continued work and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

An online version of this release is available here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.