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Letter to Barack Obama, President of the United States - Negotiations with Iranian Government

Letter

Date: Oct. 20, 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Defense Foreign Affairs

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President:

As you continue to engage the Iranian government in negotiations about their nuclear program, we urge you to prepare other measures that can be used if diplomacy cannot resolve this conflict.

We strongly support your extension of the 1995 trade ban in March 2009, which prohibits American firms from investing in Iran. Some foreign firms have continued their investment in Iran, and as you know, the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 (ISA) requires the President to sanction entities that invest more than $20 million in Iran's energy sector.

Once a firm is determined to be a violator, the Act requires the President to impose two of the following sanctions: denial of Export-Import Bank financing; denial of U.S. export-licensing of military technology; denial of U.S. bank loans exceeding $10 million in one year; prohibition on dealing in U.S. Government bonds; prohibition on U.S. government procurement from the entity; and restriction on imports from the entity.

According to the Congressional Research Service (enclosed), the following companies have likely violated of the Iran Sanctions Act:

Totalfina Elf (France)
ENI (Italy)
Bow Valley (Canada)
Royal Dutch Shell (Netherlands)
Norsk Hydro (Norway)
Lukoil (Russia)
GVA Consultants (Sweden)
Sheer Energy (Canada)
LG (South Korea)
Statoil (Norway)
Inpex (Japan)
China National Offshore Oil Company (China)
Sinopec (China)
Daelim (South Korea)
SKS Ventures (Malaysia)
Petrobras (Brazil)

In addition, the following firms have pending deals or preliminary agreements that would violate the Iran Sanctions Act:

IRASCO (Italy)
LNG Ltd. (Australia)
China National Offshore Oil Company (China)
Royal Dutch Shell (Netherlands)
Repsol (Spain)
Turkish Petroleum Company (Turkey)
OMV (Austria)
Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (Venezuela)
Sinopec (China)

In the past, Presidents Clinton and Bush have not exercised this authority. However, in light of Iran's continued intransigence and pursuit of policies that threaten to destabilize the region, we write to inquire whether your Administration plans to make a determination on any of the above entities. Given Iran's continued violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions ordering a halt to uranium enrichment activities -- and the recent breach of the two-week deadline to inspect Iran's underground facility at Qom -- we urge you to consider full implementation of the ISA.

Sincerely,

Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Ron Klein (D-FL)
John Boehner (R-OH)
Gary Peters (D-MI)
Eric Cantor (R-VA)
Artur Davis (D-AL)
Ileana Ros Lehtinen (R-FL)
John Adler (D-NJ)
Mike Pence (R-IN)
Jim Matheson (D-UT)
Peter Hoekstra (R-MI)
Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Peter King (R-NY)
Shelley Berkley (D-NV)
Frank Wolf (R-VA)
John Hall (D-NY)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Anthony Weiner (D-NY)
Mike Castle (R-DE)
Dina Titus (D-NV)
Tom Cole (R-OK)
Paul Hodes (D-NH)
John Boozman (R-AR)
Joe Baca (D-CA)
Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI)
Steve Israel (D-NY)
Frank Lobiondo (R-IA)
Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)
Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
Heath Shuler (D-NC)
Sue Wilkins Myrick (R-NC)
Jim Himes (D-CT)
Leonard Lance (R-NJ)
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
Aaron Schock (R-IL)
Brad Sherman (D-CA)
Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Bob Inglis (R-SC)
Mike Rogers (R-MI)
John Linder (R-GA)
David P. Roe (R-TN)
Brett Guthrie (R-KY)
Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO)
Pete Olson (R-TX)
Erik Paulsen (R-MN)
Walt Minnick (D-ID)
Howard Coble (R-NC)
Steven R. Rothman (D-NJ)
Michael McMahon (D-NY)
Dan Burton (R-IN)


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