By Waiving Iran Crude Oil Sanctions, Administration Willingly Sacrifices Leverage to Stop a Nuclear Iran, Ros-Lehtinen Says

(WASHINGTON) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement concerning the Obama Administration’s decision to continue the exemptions in current law and not sanction nine major petroleum-consuming countries who import Iranian crude oil. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:

“As the Iranian regime is moving ever closer to a nuclear weapons capability, the Administration is failing to enforce our sanctions against the regime and we are losing our leverage over the flow of money to Tehran’s nuclear program. Instead of tightening our sanctions dramatically, the Administration continues to let transgressions slide and enable the profits of their energy sector to fuel their nuclear ambitions.

“In the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act, or ITRASHRA, the Congress provided the Administration the ability to prevent Iran from profiting from its oil trade. The Administration must immediately implement these new sanctions rather than providing another pass for those who enable Iran by continuing their commercial activities with the regime.

“Our margin of error is far too thin to take these risks.  Reports indicate we may have only a few months before Iran crosses the nuclear threshold. The Administration must make these sanctions effective and fully enforce them now.”

Note: China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Turkey were granted exemptions by the Obama Administration. 

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