The US congress representatives referred to reports that show that 800,000 barrels of Iran's seized oil have been wandering off the coast of Texas since about 11 weeks ago, and American companies and parties are reluctant to unload their cargo for fear of alleged Iran's possible retaliatory measures.
The US seized the tanker in a sanctions enforcement operation, Reuters reported.
The delay in discharging the cargo is also partly out of fear of repercussions from Iran. A senior commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ navy said last month Iran would retaliate against any oil company unloading Iranian oil from a seized tanker.
They continued that enforcement of petroleum sanctions will become irrelevant if American citizens and companies involved constantly live in fear of Iranian retaliation.
They asked the administration for a briefing on the progress of the transfer of the seized oil from the Suez Rajan to US custody.
After withdrawing from the JCPOA nuclear agreement in 2018, the US government has implemented all the suspended sanctions under this agreement against Iran. US has also required third countries and companies to implement its territorial sanctions against Iran.
Emphasizing the illegality of US sanctions, the Islamic Republic of Iran has announced that it will use all its capabilities to counter those oppressive and inhumane measures.
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