Hoeven: Biden Administration is Taking the Wrong Approach to Iran, Needs to Keep Sanctions with No Exceptions to Prevent Iran from Developing a Nuclear Weapon

Senator Also Presses Biden to Take the Handcuffs off & Unleash Domestic Energy Production, Not Look to Iran for Energy

WASHINGTON – At a press conference this week, Senator John Hoeven joined Senator Ted Cruz to outline the flaws in the Biden administration’s negotiations with Iran and press for all sanctions to remain in place. The senator also outlined the need to unleash domestic energy production as opposed to turning to adversaries like Iran and Venezuela. Accordingly, Hoeven has:

• Helped introduce the Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act of 2021, legislation that would enable Congress to approve or block any effort by the Biden administration to suspend or terminate U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime.
• Pressed President Biden to comply with the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA), which Hoeven cosponsored in the Senate and helped pass in 2015.
• The law requires the president to submit any Iran deal to Congress for evaluation.
• Hoeven and his colleagues have committed to block any Iran nuclear deal that is not submitted.
• Helped introduce legislation to prohibit the U.S. from importing Iranian and Venezuelan crude oil, petroleum, petroleum products and liquified natural gas. 

“The Biden administration’s negotiations with Iran are fundamentally flawed,” said Hoeven. “Back in 2013, we passed a law that allowed the president to put severe sanctions on Iran so they could not sell their oil. Once you put those sanctions in place with no exceptions, then you sit down to negotiate with Iran, when the pressure is on them.

“Compare that to the situation today. The Biden administration has backed off the sanctions, taking the pressure off Iran, and then enters into negotiations where Russia is taking the lead and our negotiators aren’t in the room. What incentive does Iran have to reach a reasonable deal? Iran can keep the negotiations going as long as they want and just keep building the bomb, which is what they’re doing.

“Instead of producing all the domestic oil and gas we can to stop inflation and to help our allies, the Biden administration goes to Iran, Venezuela and OPEC. That’s the wrong approach, and the people of this country know it’s the wrong approach. Instead, the Biden administration needs to take the handcuffs off our domestic energy producers so we can unleash oil and gas production in this country. We will continue putting pressure on to get the Biden administration going in the right direction.”          

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