Risch, Rubio Introduce Legislation to Counter China’s Evasion of Iran-Related Sanctions

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) today introduced the End Iranian Terror (End IT) Act, legislation that requires the creation of a strategy to counter China’s evasion of sanctions imposed by the United States with respect to Iran.

“Since 2021, the Biden Administration’s Iran policy has been characterized by lax sanctions enforcement, the dangerous unfreezing of funds, and the pursuit of a nuclear deal at any cost. In the wake of Hamas’ brutal attacks against Israel, the Biden Administration must change course,” said Risch. “Iran has earned a shocking $80B in oil revenue since 2021 – mostly from Chinese purchases of Iranian oil. Iran has used these resources to supercharge its terrorist proxies across the Middle East, including Hamas. This legislation rightfully directs the Biden Administration to enforce Iran oil sanctions already on the books and to start taking concrete action to starve the regime of resources.”

“The United States should not take China’s evasion of Iranian-related sanctions lightly. Doing so will only increase the chances that we see a repetition of the horrific attacks of October 7. Enacting this legislation would bolster deterrence and further strategize ways in which these sanctions are enforced,” said Rubio.

This bill requires:

• A determination from the president to impose sanctions on entities violating existing U.S. sanctions on Iranian-origin petroleum products.
• An assessment of China’s direct or indirect role in smuggling Iranian-origin petroleum products.
• An assessment on the amount of Iranian-origin petroleum products smuggled to China and the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
• An assessment on the impact of smuggled Iranian-origin petroleum on global energy markets.
• A detailed plan for monitoring the maritime domain for smuggling of Iranian-origin petroleum products, identifying entities responsible for smuggling, and seizing, prosecuting, and, if appropriate, liquidating assets used to violate U.S. sanctions.

Text of the End Iranian Terror (End IT) Act can be found here.

In addition to his push to enforce existing sanctions, Risch has also cosponsored the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act, which would direct new sanctions on illicit purchases of Iranian oil and hold the regime’s enablers accountable.

###