Boise City Wire

U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and U.S. Representatives Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), has addressed a letter to President Joe Biden regarding the administration’s enforcement of laws sanctioning the Iranian regime.

"We urge you to follow the law and promptly make sanctions determinations, impose appropriate sanctions, and report to Congress what determinations have been made and which sanctions have been imposed. No amount of appeasement to the Iranian regime will quell its unacceptable conduct. Only by exerting maximum pressure on members of the Iranian regime and connected individuals can we hope to stem this behavior," wrote the lawmakers.

The Mahsa Amini Human Rights and Security Accountability (MAHSA) Act and the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act were signed into law this year as Public Law 118-50. However, according to the lawmakers, the Biden-Harris Administration has not met deadlines for enforcing these laws or sanctioning relevant entities.

In their letter, they stated: "As the key sponsors and supporters of the Mahsa Amini Human Rights and Security Accountability (MAHSA) and Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Acts, both of which were signed into law (Public Law 118-50), we write to urge your administration to swiftly implement these provisions."

The MAHSA Act required a determination by July 23, 2024, on whether Iran's Supreme Leader, President, or related entities meet criteria for sanctions under various U.S. laws. The SHIP Act mandated that by August 22, 2024, the U.S. Department of State should develop a strategy against China's evasion of U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil.

The lawmakers expressed concern over unfulfilled legal commitments: "We are concerned by the fact that your administration has failed to submit its plan on implementing these sanctions by the deadlines stipulated by law."

Highlighting recent developments in Iran’s oil exports and human rights violations, they pointed out: "In late August, media reports indicated that Iranian exports to China have reached a six-year high at more than 1.75 million barrels of oil a day... In August alone... bringing in approximately $4 billion in revenue for the regime." They also referenced executions following protests sparked by Mahsa Amini's death.

Further emphasizing national security concerns, they quoted from the Department of Justice: "Iran utilizes the proceeds of its black-market oil sales to fund its criminal activities, including its support of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hamas, Hizballah, and other Iranian aligned terrorist groups."

Concluding their appeal for action: "We urge you to immediately follow through on your legal commitments... No amount of appeasement to the Iranian regime will quell its unacceptable conduct."

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