Lawmakers Criticize, Defend Trump’s Iranian Oil Remark
President Donald Trump’s comment June 24 that China can now buy Iranian oil despite U.S. sanctions (see 2506240049) drew mixed reactions on Capitol Hill.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
“Either President Trump doesn’t know his own administration has crippling sanctions on Iranian oil, or he doesn’t care if our adversaries violate our own sanctions policies,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Both possibilities are extremely alarming.”
House Select Committee on China Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., had a different take, saying Trump was simply pointing out that after he brokered a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, Iran wouldn't be blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil route. "The main thing was to not allow the strait to be cut off," Moolenaar said. "So I think that was a generous statement on his part."
A senior White House official offered a clarification similar to Moolenaar's (see 2506250006).