UANI Calls on U.S. Lawmakers to Blacklist Iran's Energy Sector in Sanctions Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 27, 2012

Contact: Nathan Carleton, [email protected]

Phone: (212) 554-3296

UANI Calls on U.S. Lawmakers to Blacklist Iran's Energy Sector in Sanctions Bill

New York, NY - On Friday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) called on U.S. lawmakers to strengthen the Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Human Rights Act of 2012 (S.2101).

In a May 2012 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, UANI's leadership, including Meir Dagan, August Hanning, James Woolsey, Richard Guthrie, Mark Wallace and Kristen Silverberg, called for an economic blockade of the Iranian regime.

While UANI is disappointed that S.2101 does not impose an economic blockade on Iran, there are important provisions supported by UANI and other groups, including the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), that will help isolate the regime if adopted.

Earlier this week, UANI called for the adoption of a provision authorizing the imposition of sanctions on SWIFT's leadership and shareholders. Today, UANI is further urging Congress to adopt the provision, originally introduced in legislation co-sponsored by Reps. Ted Deutch and Robert Dold in the House and introduced as an amendment by Sen. Mark Kirk in the Senate, that effectively blacklists Iran's entire energy sector as a "zone of primary proliferation concern," and prohibits all energy-related trade with Iran-except for limited oil trades permitted under U.S. law.

Said UANI CEO, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace:

We applaud U.S. lawmakers for working in conference to adopt new sanctions against Iran. At the very minimum, Congress should adopt a bill that includes SWIFT sanctions and the blacklisting of Iran's energy sector. Ultimately, the international community must impose an economic blockade of the Iranian regime. While the current legislation being considered would indeed tighten the noose around Iran's energy sector, Congress could make an even greater impact by blacklisting Iran's entire energy sector and prohibiting all energy-related trade with Iran.

Discouraging the world's corporations from investing in Iran's energy sector would terminate the flow of critical oil revenues to the Iranian regime. The psychological impact on the regime of declaring war on its energy wealth would be significant. Congress should declare Iran's energy sector to be a no-go-zone.

Iran must face consequences for its continued defiance of international law, sponsorship of terrorism, and atrocious human rights violations. We call on Congress to impose an international economic blockade against Iran, and the most comprehensive and robust sanctions against Iran's energy industry to date.

In an Op-Ed published on RealClearWorld yesterday, "Don't Fear the Iranian Oil Reaper," Ambassador Wallace called for a full oil embargo on the Iranian regime. "Now is not the time for half measures or needle-threading," wrote Ambassador Wallace. "By pushing the remaining million barrels of Iranian oil exports off the global market and imposing a complete economic blockade of Iran, the international community can succeed in extracting real concessions from the regime on its illicit nuclear program."

In an Op-Ed published in Foreign Policy last month, "Battle Rial," Mark Dubowitz, Executive Director of FDD, called for the blacklisting of the Iranian energy sector. "Sweeping action is the only way to counter aggressive Iranian attempts to subvert international sanctions," wrote Dubowitz."The Treasury Department has sanctioned hundreds of entities but Iran can spin off new front companies and find new payment mechanisms faster than Treasury officials can target them, conjuring up 'clean' entities and payment pathways to allow international companies to maintain their business relationships.

"Blacklisting Iran's entire energy sector would solve that problem, prohibiting business dealings with every entity involved in it, both inside and outside the country. This would include the National Iranian Oil Co. and its many subsidiaries, the former National Iranian Tanker Co. (now known as NITC), and hundreds of other entities and front companies. Foreign companies that continued to do business with Iran's energy sector would face U.S. sanctions that could cut them off from access to the much larger American market."

Click here to read Ambassador Wallace's Op-Ed, "Don't Fear the Iranian Oil Reaper."

Click here to read UANI's Wall Street Journal Op-Ed, "Total Sanctions Might Stop Iran."

Click here to read Mark Dubowitz's Foreign Policy Op-Ed, "Battle Rial."

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