The legislation would grant presidential powers to impose sanctions on
gasoline and refined petroleum imported to Iran. Lieberman said the bill was
supported by both liberal and conservative members of the Senate.
The administration was expected to oppose the legislation, titled the
Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act. Obama has launched a dialogue meant to
reconcile with the Islamic regime in Teheran.
"We must not allow anyone to mistake our willingness to engage with the
Iranians as a sign of weakness, least of all, the Iranians themselves,"
Lieberman told the American Enterprise Institute on April 27. "Yet frankly,
that is precisely the conclusion that some in Iran and elsewhere in the
region are drawing."
Lieberman said the Iranian threat could result in an informal
Arab-Israeli alliance. He said the challenge was whether the United States
could "seize this moment to help usher into place a new strategic
architecture for the Middle East."
The cosponsors of the legislation, introduced on April 28, included
Senators Evan Bayh, Barbara Boxer, Susan Collins, Russell Feingold, Jon Kyl,
Barbara Mikulski, James Risch, Charles Schumer and John Thune. In all, the
legislation has garnered 25 co-sponsors, both Democrats and Republicans.
Similar legislation has been introduced in the House by Rep. Mark Kirk, an
Illinois Republican.
"Bottom line: It allows us to put our finger right on the pressure point
where Iran is the weakest, and that is gasoline," Schumer, a Democrat from
New York, said.
The latest bill would also amend the 1996 Iran Sanctions Act, which
called for a boycott of companies that invest $20 million or more in Iran's
energy sector. The new legislation enables the president to sanction foreign
companies involved in the sale of fuel, fuel delivery insurance and
maintenance of Iranian refineries.
"We know who these companies [that deal with Iran] are: [Royal Dutch]
Shell, [Switzerland's] Vitol, BP and [India's] Reliance," Kyl said. "We need
to give them a choice: You can do business with Iran's $250 billion economy
or our $13 trillion economy, but not both."
