Menendez Statement on Senate-House Agreement on Iran Sanctions Bill

Statement

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), author of the sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran, today released the following statement regarding the bicameral, bipartisan agreement on Iran sanctions legislation:

"The bicameral, bipartisan Iran sanctions bill is a further step in our commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability. Among the new sanctions in the bill is a section I authored to impose sanctions on persons that own, control, and insure vessels that evade our sanctions and to prohibit these vessels from entering U.S. ports. These sanctions will substantially impede the ability of Iran to find willing partners in the shipping industry and will ensure that the sanctions we've imposed on crude oil sales by Iran and refined petroleum sales to Iran have full effect. Moreover, the shipping sanctions, combined with provisions in the bill that will lead to the designation of the National Iranian Oil and Tanker Companies (NIOC and NITC) as IRGC entities and the prohibition on insurance and re-insurance for NIOC and NITC, will again tighten the economic noose on the Iranian regime.

"In addition, the amendment to the Central Bank sanctions, halting Iranian repatriation of oil revenue will ensure that Iran uses these resources to provide for the Iranian people, rather than diverting them for nuclear proliferation. activities.

"Lastly, I am proud to announce that in this package we reached an agreement to allow victims of Iranian acts of terror, including plaintiffs in the 1983 Marine Corps barracks bombing in Lebanon that killed 241 American servicemen and the 1996 Khobar Tower bombing in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 American servicemen, to fulfill their judgments against Iran by permitting attachment of Iranian assets located in the United States. This action makes clear that the United States will always hold terrorist regimes accountable for their heinous acts against American citizens.

"I believe this comprehensive bill is an appropriate response to the Iranian failure to table a viable proposal at the P-5+1 talks and unless we see a real initiative by Iran to shutter its nuclear weapons program in the coming weeks, we will continue to pursue further measures to cripple the ability of Iran to carry out its nuclear weapons ambitions."

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