Ernst pushes for tough stance on Iranian threats against U.S. companies

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) is leading a bipartisan effort in urging President Joe Biden to take action against Iranian threats that have prevented the transfer of seized Iranian oil sitting in a tanker off the coast of Texas.

Sen. Ernst, in her role as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and a group of Senate colleagues to underscore the importance of the counter-Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) petroleum sanctions program. Through that program, more than $200 million in illicit Iranian oil has been seized.

But the months-long delay in transferring the oil on board the Suez Rajan tanker has stalled the United States’ ability to complete this operation and support the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism (USVSST) Fund, which supports American victims of terrorism, Sen. Ernst and her colleagues said.

“We request that you work expeditiously to resolve the delay in the transfer of seized oil from the Suez Rajan and continue to enforce the law against Foreign Terrorist Organizations, such as the IRGC,” the senators wrote in a recent letter to President Biden. “The enforcement of petroleum sanctions will become irrelevant if American citizens and companies involved constantly live in fear of Iranian retaliation.

In their letter, the lawmakers requested information on the seized tanker, a list of companies that have refused to assist in the operation, and a national security assessment of Iran’s threats, along with how the Biden administration is mitigating the delay.

“It is imperative that your administration make it clear that Iran and designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations will not be able to prevent our government from carrying out legitimate law enforcement operations,” Sen. Ernst and her colleagues wrote.