SENATORS URGE SANCTIONS FOR COMPANIES IDENTIFIED AS STILL SELLING GASOLINE TO IRAN

GAO Report Identifies Five Such Companies; Three in China

WASHINGTON, DC – Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) issued the following statement in response to the release of a GAO report today that identifies five companies that appear to be continuing to sell refined petroleum products, such as gasoline, to Iran. The new report, which was requested by the Senators, found that, while many foreign firms have stopped selling refined petroleum products to Iran since sanctions legislation targeting this trade was introduced in early 2009, a handful continue to do so, including three in China. They are: Emirates National Oil Company of United Arab Emirates, Hin Leong Trading of Singapore, ChinaOil of China, Unipec of China, and Zhuhai Zhenrong of China.

"The GAO report released today provides encouraging evidence that the comprehensive sanctions legislation passed by Congress earlier this year is indeed persuading many companies to stop selling gasoline and other refined petroleum products to Iran. We applaud those firms that have taken this responsible and important step."

"The decision of these companies to withdraw from the Iranian market, however, makes it even more imperative that sanctions are imposed on any companies that continue to trade with Iran. We are particularly concerned that the majority of the companies that GAO identifies as still selling gasoline to Iran are in China. We urge the Administration to complete its own investigations swiftly and enforce the sanctions law, comprehensively and aggressively, against any violators. Given the urgency and seriousness of the threat posed by a nuclear Iran, sanctions must be enforced with the same urgency and seriousness."

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