A bipartisan group of senators, including Democrats fighting for reelection in battleground states, this week pushed President Biden to meet reporting deadlines to crack down harder on Iran.
In the letter dated Tuesday, the senators said an emergency supplemental bill signed into law in April to fund Ukraine, Israel and allies in the Indo-Pacific had included several provisions designed to restrict Iran’s ability to sell oil and procure or distribute weapons, and that Biden has missed several deadlines to update Congress on related progress.
“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,” the senators wrote.
The letter was signed by Democratic senators defending key battleground states in the 2024 campaign, including Sens. Bob Casey (Pa.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.) and Jacky Rosen (Nev.).
Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) and Republican Sens. John Hoeven (N.D.), Eric Schmitt (Mo.) and Chuck Grassley (Iowa) also signed the letter.
The senators said Biden has missed August deadlines for a report on proposed efforts and sanctions to combat Iran’s procurement of missiles and another report on Iranian oil sales, including to China.
There are also October deadlines that require Biden to inform Congress of how he will implement the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum Act to sanction certain individuals associated with Iran oil sales, legislation that was included in the April supplemental.
Iran continues to maintain a vast oil network that it is selling to countries around the world despite U.S. sanctions, with the nation primarily selling to American adversaries, including China. And Tehran has also circumvented U.S. efforts to restrict weapons procurement.
The Treasury Department on Friday announced new sanctions on the Iranian oil sector.
The senators are making the push as the war in the Middle East between Israel and Iranian-backed allies becomes a campaign issue. Most Democrats have called for the U.S. to stand with Israel, but they also want to relieve the suffering of innocent Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is fighting against the Iranian-backed militant group Hamas.
Israel is now weighing a response to Iran after Tehran fired some 180 ballistic missiles at the country, which the U.S. and Israeli defense systems largely defeated.