Statement by Senator Ayotte on Administration Policy Regarding Iranian Oil Exports to Assad Regime

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) issued the following statement today regarding the Obama administration's policy toward Iranian oil exports to the Assad regime:

"I am deeply troubled by the Obama administration's testimony yesterday attempting to minimize the fact that Iran is providing oil to the Assad regime. Rather than condemning Iran for literally fueling Assad's war machine, which has killed tens of thousands of innocent Syrians, the State Department official sought to explain away Tehran's actions by using a technicality in the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA) that the provision of free oil to Assad is not a "purchase.' It should be irrelevant as a matter of policy whether Iran is providing free barrels of oil to Syria, getting paid for those barrels, or giving Assad cash to buy those barrels on the open market.

"The administration must better explain how it justifies a policy of allowing Iran to exceed its permissible crude oil sales under the JPOA by delivering crude oil to fuel the Assad regime. Americans should be outraged that the administration is letting Iran off the hook and permitting it to fuel Assad's genocidal regime.

"In its desire to defend the interim nuclear deal with Iran, the administration is sending a signal to both Tehran and the international community that the administration may lack the determination to enforce the spirit and the letter of any final deal."

On Wednesday, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Diplomacy, Amos Hochstein, confirmed in a congressional hearing that Iran is providing crude oil to Syria "because Syria's ability to get crude oil on the market and from traders has vanished and as a result, Iran has had to step in."

He explained that part of the discrepancy in reporting on permissible Iranian crude oil sales under the Joint Plan of Action can be explained by direct shipments of Iranian crude oil to Syria.

He argued that this "...is a very different kind of delivery because unlike the other six customers that they still have, Syria doesn't pay. So this doesn't contribute to the overall economic benefit to Iran. And therefore does not remove the economic pressure that the sanctions sought to bring. So when we look at what is the current levels of exports, we mean people who are buying."

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