Palmetto State News

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) introduced legislation aimed at holding countries accountable for financially supporting Iran. During the Trump Administration, Iranian crude exports dropped to as low as 300,000 barrels per day. However, according to United Against Nuclear Iran, under the Biden Administration, Iran exported nearly 1.4 million barrels of oil daily in October 2023.

The Tariffs For Terrorism Act of 2024 would require the President to identify countries that purchase, trade, consume or import crude oil or petroleum products from Iran and subsequently impose tariffs on products imported into the U.S. from those countries.

“After many discussions with President Trump, I’m introducing legislation to impose tariffs on countries that purchase petroleum products from Iran,” said Senator Graham. “It is long past time to make those that enrich this terrorist regime pay a price, and there’s no better price than tariffs on products coming into the United States. On day one, President Trump will re-impose maximum pressure on Iran. Tariffs on countries that empower terrorism and the Ayatollah is a good place to start.”

Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has engaged in acts of international terrorism and continuously threatened the U.S., Israel and other allies and partners of the United States. Iran has been a designated state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law since January 19, 1984. To date, oil sanctions have been ineffective in deterring the Ayatollah’s malign activity. The Iranian Regime uses billions of dollars of oil profits to finance proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah. The Ayatollah is also sprinting toward a nuclear bomb. Recently, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Iran has narrowed their nuclear breakout time – the time it takes to produce enough weapons-grade uranium to make a nuclear bomb – to approximately one to two weeks.

Full text of the legislation is HERE.