US Lawmakers Pass Bill Targeting Iran's Oil Exports
The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved a bill that aims to make it harder for Iran to sell its oil.
The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved a bill that aims to make it harder for Iran to sell its oil.
The legislation, known as the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) bill, was passed Friday with a vote of 342-69. It seeks to impose measures on foreign ports and refineries that handle petroleum exported from Iran in violation of US sanctions.
Iran's crude oil exports have been on the rise since 2021, after the Biden administration embarked on indirect negotiations with Tehran to revive the Obama-era JCPOA nuclear deal. Data from consultancies FGE and Vortexa shows that Iran's crude exports reached close to 2 million barrels a day, their highest level in over four years last month, with more than 80% of these exports going to China.
“They are using these funds to fund terrorism,” Rep. Mike Lawler said on CNN. “We need to impose stricter sanctions on the buyers of Iranian petroleum, starting with China.”
The SHIP Act is the latest in a long line of Congressional initiatives that target Iran. Any such initiative is effective only if the executive branch is willing to take it up and enforce it wholeheartedly –which doesn’t seem to be the case with the Biden administration.
Even if passed into law, many measures include national security waivers that grant presidents discretion in enforcing the law. And of course, China could ignore sanctions altogether, even if the US administration was willing to enforce them strictly.
Since 2021, Iran has increased its oil revenue by $80 billion.
Critics of President Biden say this money has been used by the IRGC to fund Hamas, Hezbollah and other militant groups in the region. Many at the Capitol blame the current government for turning away from Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ policy on Iran.
“Biden Iran envoy Robert Malley helped directly fund and support Iranian intelligence,” wrote Rep. Ronny Jacjson on X. “At every turn, Biden has made Iran stronger, and has put our troops in harm’s way. Biden is the WORST president in history.”
In the last two weeks, US troops in Syria and Iraq have been attacked 27 times by Iran's militia proxy forces, despite repeated warnings from the administration, summarized in the now infamous phrase, “don’t” –which both President Biden and Vice President Harris have stated to be their message to the regime in Iran.
The Islamic Republic officials do not hesitate to boast about their support for militant groups in the region, most notably, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
So far, Hezbollah, by far the strongest of non-state actors in the Middle East, has avoided a full-scale conflict with Israel and has not attacked American forces.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that the Israel war on Hamas has spread to other fronts. He made no direct reference that could be read as a declaration of war on Israel, as some experts anticipated him to do.
He only claimed his group was ready for “all possibilities.”
Shortly before Nasrallah’s speech, the US Senate introduced a bipartisan bill aiming to enable the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to enforce oil sanctions “to cut off Iran’s funding for its terrorist proxies.”
Senators Marco Rubio, a supporter of the bill who advocates a tougher stance against Iran, said Friday that “establishing credible deterrence risks escalation but failing to do so guarantees escalation.”
In a post on his X account, the Senator wrote, “Iran has now ordered 30 attacks on Americans. If the US does not impose a cost directly on Iran for these attacks, they will start coming faster.”
German government administrations have claimed that Israel’s security is Germany's Staatsräson (raison d'etre). For many veteran observers of the German-Israel relationship, the litmus test for Berlin’s pledge to the security of the Jewish state is its policy toward the Iranian regime, which has been threatening to eliminate Israel for decades.
When Iran International recently asked the German interior ministry if it plans to outlaw Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for aiding Hamas in the massacre of 1,400 people on October 7, a spokeswoman declined to answer, but noted “The security authorities in Germany have Hamas in their sights. The Federal Chancellor and the Federal Minister of the Interior have decided that bans on any activity by Hamas and the Samidoun group in Germany will be issued. In doing so, the federal government is sending a clear signal that solidarity with and support for Hamas terror will be stopped.”
The spokeswoman added, “ The Federal Ministry of the Interior and the security authorities involved are intensively preparing these bans and will enforce them as soon as possible. Of course, no information can be given in advance on the timing and details of operational measures in order not to jeopardise these measures.”
There are 450 active Hamas operatives within the territory of Germany, according to the Federal Republic’s most recent intelligence report. The interior ministry spokeswoman declined to say if any Hamas operatives have been detained. Brigadier General (ret.) Amir Avivi, Founder and CEO of IDSF (Israel's Defense and Security Forum) told Iran International Germany should “arrest these people” and “take action against the extremist entity.”
Germany has banned the activities of Hamas and Hezbollah but continues to permit their members to operate, including 1,250 Hezbollah supporters.
There have been some voices calling again for Germany to push for a ban of the IRGC. The Free Democratic Party—a member of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition—said after the October 7 terrorist attack “We therefore call for the sanctions against Iran to be expanded together with the EU and USA and for the EU to actively work towards classifying the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.”
Yet, the German government could unilaterally outlaw the IRGC and not hide behind the EU curtain, according to experts. The Christian Democratic Union MP Norbert Röttgen said the German public was being “deceived” by the Green Party foreign minister Annalena Baerabock who claims the authorities need legal cases to sanction the IRGC. In 2019, the US designated the IRGC a terrorist organization. Röttgen argues the pre-conditions have been met to proscribe the IRGC a terrorist organization.
German engineering companies and banks continue to engage in flourishing business deals with Iran, with at least $1.2 billon in export trade to the Islamic Republic in 2022. If Scholz sanctioned the Guard Corps, German companies would take finananical hits due to the IRGC’s vast control over Iran’s economy. Iran International exclusively revealed the presence of German and Austrian companies at the Iran Oil Show this year, in apparent violation of US sanctions.
Iran’s ally Hamas has been met with scarce resistance in some German cities. The mayor of Stuttgart, Frank Nopper, permits a pro-Hamas group to post its contact information on the municipal website. The city of Bremen, however, deleted a notice on its city website on October 23, for the reportedly pro-Hamas “Bremer Peace Forum” group.
In May, Israel’s government rebuked Germany’s ambassador Steffen Seibert, who participated in a memorial event for Palestinian terrorists and Arab and Jewish victims of terrorism.
Seibert’s participation in the ‘Alternative Day of Remembrance’ ceremony sparked a street protest by Israeli NGOs against him at his residence.
Germany’s embassy in Tel Aviv told Iran International that “Ambassador Seibert did not participate in any ‘memorial event for Hamas terrorists’ in the past and will, of course, not do so in the future.”
The measures target additional assets in a Hamas investment portfolio and people facilitating sanctions evasion by Hamas-affiliated companies, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.
A Gaza-based entity that Treasury said has served as a conduit for illicit Iranian funds to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group was also targeted, the department said. Iran backs Hamas and other militant groups in the Middle East.
"We will not hesitate to take action to further degrade Hamas’s ability to commit horrific terrorist attacks by relentlessly targeting its financial activities and streams of funding," Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo wrote, adding the sanctions aimed "to deny Hamas the ability to exploit the international financial system."
Adeyemo said some firms in the digital asset space were not doing enough to stop the flow of illicit finance.
Israel has bombed Hamas targets in the densely populated Gaza Strip following the October 7 terror attack that killed 1,400 people. Hamas took more than 200 hostages, some of them infants, in the assault.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry said on Thursday that 7,028 Palestinians had been killed in Israel's retaliatory air strikes. The figure cannot be independently verified.
Friday's action freezes any US assets of the targeted groups and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. Those that engage in certain transactions with them also risk being hit with sanctions.
The Treasury said it imposed sanctions on a Jordanian national who lives in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and who it said serves as the representative of Hamas in Iran, as well as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF) officials who train and assist members of Hamas and other militant groups.
An Iran-based commander of the Saberin Special Forces Brigade of the IRGC Ground Force was also targeted. The US Treasury said the Saberin Brigade has deployed to Syria and has provided training to Hamas and members of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah.
Hundreds of Iranian or Iran-linked individuals and companies are already under US sanctions for their illicit activities in the country’s nuclear, missile and terror-related activities.
Sudan and Spain-based companies were also targeted under Friday's measures, as were Turkey-based shareholders of a company previously designated as part of the Hamas investment portfolio.
The United States has said that the Hamas portfolio of investments, estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, includes companies operating in Turkey, as well as Sudan, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere.
This month's violence has led to fears of a broader conflict in the Middle East.
The US military on Thursday carried out strikes against two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran's Revolutionary Guards and groups it backs following a spate of attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.
However, Iranian and Iraqi media reported on Friday that two US bases came under attack in Syria and Iraq following the US retaliatory strike.
With reporting by Reuters
Cohen said on Tuesday at the UN, “Qatar which finances and harbors Hamas leaders could influence and enable the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages held by the terrorists. You, members of the international community, should demand from Qatar to do just that.”
A day later, National Security Adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, wrote on X, formerly Twitter that “ I’m pleased to say that Qatar is becoming an essential party and stakeholder in the facilitation of humanitarian solutions. Qatar’s diplomatic efforts are crucial at this time.”
It is unclear if the Israeli government is working at cross purposes or whether Hanegbi is the good cop to Cohen’s bad cop, with a view toward influencing Qatari policy. Qatar’s regime has been unabashedly anti-Israel and pro-Hamas since the Sunni Islamist movement terrorist attack, stating the Jewish state is “solely responsible” for the war.
In February, Iran International reported that Cohen said the Islamic Republic of Iran is a “cancer” that finances Hamas and Hezbollah.
Qatar lodges US-terror-designated Hamas and courts the Iranian regime’s foreign minister. Qatar has funded or cultivated good relations with all of Israel’s major enemies from Hamas to Hezbollah to the IRGC.
For many experts on Qatar, which presents itself as global power broker, the Islamist Al Thani family members that rule over the tiny oil-rich Gulf country are the other wing of the same Hamas terrorist bird.
Yigal Carmon, the president and founder of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), told Iran International, “Qatar is Hamas and Hamas is Qatar.”
Iran International was the first news organization to report in early September on Carmon’s prescient analysis that a significant terrorism attack would be launched against Israel in September or October.
According to Carmon, the way to secure the release of the over 200 hostages held by the Iran-backed terrorist movement Hamas is to “destabilize Qatar’s economy.”
Carmon, who served as the counter-terrorism adviser to two Israeli prime ministers, added “The elimination of Qatar as an economic base is absolutely necessary. It will happen through private cyber companies. Private companies are realizing that through pressure the hostages will be released. The Qatari economy is a house of cards and they will be destroyed.”
Along those lines, Rabbi Pini Dunner of the Beverly Hills Synagogue, and John Mirisch, a Beverly Hills City Councilmember, to put Qatar in an economic vice are gaining traction via an international campaign to boycott Qatar’s luxury Maybourne hotel in Beverly Hills and its hotel properties in London.
When asked about the international boycott campaign against Qatari-owned hotels, Paula Fitzherbert, global head of communications for the Maybourne in Beverly Hills, Claridge’s, The Connaught, The Berkeley, The Maybourne Riviera, and The Emory, told Iran International: “We won’t be issuing a comment.”
The former colonel in Israel’s military intelligence agency, Carmon, does not mince words. He has studied the supremely opulent Qatari nation for decades. He has also voiced sharp criticism of Israel’s government after Hamas invaded Israel on October 7 and slaughtered over 1,400 people, including many foreigners.
Carmon said” Tragically, our government funneled $1.5 billon” of Qatari funds to Hamas. “This double speak needs to stop. The way to stop is pressure, not begging Qatar.”
Qatar has pumped $1.5 billion into the Hamas-controlled Gaza strip over the last decade. The money, in theory, was designed to aid the population. Israel’s policy doctrine (advocated and implemented by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu) that Hamas could be monetarily incentivized to not engage in mass adventurism against the Jewish state is now defunct.
Carmon warned in his 2018 MEMRI article titled “Is Gaza In Need Of Qatar's Aid?'" that Qatar’s aid to Hamas would backfire. He concluded his analysis with the following prediction: "In any event, when Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt see Israel supporting their enemy Qatar in its bid to expand Doha's influence in Hamas-ruled Gaza, four years after the war, when its economy has not only rebounded but is booming, they can only conclude that Israel is playing a double game – the destructive results of which are bound to come sooner or later."
The US and many Western governments continue to court Qatar and praise its diplomacy. After Qatar helped secure the freedom of two American hostages on October 22, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC that “I again want to thank the government of Qatar for playing a very important role in getting them out.”
Carmon said “America is protecting Qatar by having its base there.” Qatar hosts the massive Al Udeid Air Base. The MEMRI president argues that the base in Qatar is “endangering the American army” and noted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates offered to move the American military base to their nations.
The growing criticism of Qatar’s dangerous embrace and sponsorship of radical Islamist movements is entering mainstream political and media discourse. Prior to the arrival of Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in Berlin just four days after Hamas’ massacre, the German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock urged Qatar to “clearly stand up to this most brutal terror.” The German Free Democratic Party, which is part of the traffic light federal governing coalition, called for Germany’s major gas deal with Qatar to “immediately be put on ice.”
Germany’s largest paper, Bild, headlined its article on the emir’s visit: “Scholz welcomes the top sponsor of terror.” Olaf Scholz is the German Chancellor. The Bild headline would have been largely unimaginable before October 7.