Republican lawmakers urge sanctions over Iran oil sales to China
Senate Republicans are pushing for harsher penalties against Chinese-linked actors involved in Iran’s oil and petrochemical trade.
WASHINGTON — Concerned that Iranian oil sales continue to climb despite US sanctions, a group of Senate Republicans say the Biden administration could be doing more to curb Iran’s illicit energy exports, especially to China.
In a letter sent Friday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, a group of eight US senators urged the administration to develop a strategy to keep Iran’s petrochemical industry from "supporting the regime’s nefarious activities."
The letter led by Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, urged the secretaries to impose further sanctions against Chinese individuals and entities that are involved in Iran’s oil and petrochemical trade.
“Doing so will deprive the Iranian regime of critical revenues that they would use to harm US interests and repress the Iranian people,” the senators wrote.
