The United States House of Representatives has approved a bill to intensify oil sanctions against the Iranian regime. On November 3, the House of Representatives passed a bill with the support of members from both the Democratic and Republican parties to strengthen oil sanctions against Iran. The “Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act,” received 342 votes in favor and 69 votes against.
Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican, and Representative Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat, stated in a statement that this bill is a crucial step in preventing Iran from continuing its financial support for terrorism throughout the Middle East.
H.R. 3774, the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act, which I introduced with @RepMoskowitz this week, is an important step in preventing Iran from using that partnership, especially in maritime trading with China, to benefit themselves financially.https://t.co/VShYVRY85W
— Congressman Mike Lawler (@RepMikeLawler) June 3, 2023
They also welcomed the widespread support of members from both the Democratic and Republican parties in the House of Representatives for this bill. Mike Lawler and Jared Moskowitz emphasized the importance of holding the regime accountable for its support of terrorist organizations.
These two members of the US Congress stated that this bill sends a clear and strong message to parties and actors such as China, Russia, and others to not assist Iran in financing terrorism, or else they will face the consequences of such actions.
For this bill to become law, it must first be approved by the US Senate and then signed by President Joe Biden.
The approval of this bill comes at a time when, according to regime authorities, despite extensive US sanctions, Iran’s oil sales have increased in recent years. Javad Oji, the Minister of Oil of the Iranian regime, stated on March 24 that Iran has exported “at least 190 million barrels more oil than in 2020 and 83 million barrels more than in 2021,” and he said, “A new record in Iran’s oil exports will be set this year.”
He also announced on September 30 an “increase in oil exports” and said, “With the efforts of my colleagues at the Ministry of Oil, the production and export figuresof crude oil, condensates, and oil products are increasing every day.”
Kpler, a commodity intelligence company that also tracks oil tankers, reported on August 15 that Iran is exporting approximately 1.5 million barrels of crude oil daily to China this month, which will be the highest level of exports to this country in a decade.
According to the official IRNA news agency, on September 4, Iran exported “1.7 million barrels of crude oil and 152,000 barrels of condensates” daily in August. The total exports of oil and gas condensates from Iran in that month averaged 1.85 million barrels per day. This represents the highest level of Iranian oil exports in the past five years since the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Kpler stated that Iran is currently exporting approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil per day to China, marking the highest level of oil exports from Iran to China since 2013.
Bloomberg news agency also reported on these statistics, stating that with the increase in oil prices in global markets, the demand for discounted oil purchases from Iran, especially by independent refineries in Shandong Province, China, has risen.
Previously, Davoud Manzour, the head of regime’s Planning and Budget Organization had stated in the Majlis (Parliament) that “according to the 2023 budget bill, the government is obligated to export 1.4 million barrels of oil per day,” and that they have been able to exceed this target with the efforts of the Ministry of Oil.
However, Manzour did not disclose the exact volume of Iran’s oil exports or the names of importing countries.
In a related development, the latest statistics from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), released on August 10, showed an increase in Iran’s oil production by 68,000 barrels per day, reaching 2.828 million barrels per day.
Reuters had previously reported that Iran offers a discount of around $12 per barrel for its exported oil. Other reports have suggested even higher figures for Iranian oil discounts.
It is worth noting that on July 14, eight Republican senators wrote a letter to the US Secretaries of State and Treasury, calling for the full implementation of oil sanctions against the Iranian regime and the imposition of sanctions on Chinese companies buying Iranian oil.
