WASHINGTON (JTA) — Two U.S. congressmen asked President Obama to bar a Russian oil company from doing business in the United States because it supplies Iran.
Reps. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Ron Klein (D-Fla.) wrote a letter to President Obama calling his attention to violations of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 and asked him to immediately enforce the law. Kirk and Klein are leaders of a bipartisan effort to limit gasoline supply in Iran to help prevent the country from obtaining nuclear capabilities.
In the letter, they state that Russian oil company Lukoil supplied Tehran with 250,000 barrels of gasoline within the last month. The company continues to own gas stations in the United States and is listed as a “scrutinized company” on Illinois State Board of Investment and Florida State Board of Administration lists. The representatives asked Obama to enforce the sanctions by not continuing to allow Lukoil to operate in the United States.
“Time is running out to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran,” Kirk and Klein said in a statement. “Despite your offer of engagement, Tehran remains undeterred in advancing its illicit nuclear program and exporting terrorism around the world. Sanctions represent the most viable diplomatic tool to pressure the government of Iran to change course and meet its international obligations. Without rigorous enforcement, however, our efforts will be rendered from ineffective to inexcusable.”
