Lawmakers urge Biden to resolve offloading delay of seized Iran oil tanker
Source: Reuters
Lawmakers urge Biden to resolve offloading delay of seized Iran oil tanker
Reuters
Wed, August 16, 2023 at 8:07 AM EDT·2 min read
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers from both political parties have urged President Joe Biden and members of his administration to resolve a months-long delay in the transfer of a cargo of oil from a seized Iranian tanker off Texas.
The Suez Rajan has been stuck near Galveston about 50 miles (80 km) from Houston since May 30, as shipping companies fear any vessel unloading it would lead other oil buyers to shun their ships on future voyages. The U.S. seized the tanker in a sanctions enforcement operation.
The delay in discharging the cargo is also partly out of fear of repercussions from Iran. A senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' navy said last month Iran would retaliate against any oil company unloading Iranian oil from a seized tanker.
Senators Joni Ernst, a Republican, and Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, and other lawmakers in the Senate and U.S. House said in the letter to Biden and senior administration officials that enforcement of petroleum sanctions will become irrelevant if American citizens and companies involved constantly live in fear of Iranian retaliation.
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