House passes SHIP Act in rebuke of Biden's soft approach to Iran

In what many view as a stinging rebuke of President Joe Biden's approach to Tehran, the House of Representatives earlier this month passed – in largely bipartisan fashion – a bill that would force him to impose sanctions on owners of ports, vessels, and refineries that carry, accept shipments of, or process oil-related products with Iranian origins, as The Messenger reports.

Now that the lower chamber has signaled overwhelming support for the measure and for a tougher stance on Iran's practice of funneling money to terror groups, the Washington Examiner editorial board asserts that it is high time that the Senate do the same.

The Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum Act (SHIP Act) was introduced well before the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas, but its House passage signals a resolve within Congress to respond decisively to the harm done to a critical ally and to curb the actions of those who might exacerbate regional conflicts.

In the wake of the bill's passage by a margin of 342-69, co-sponsors Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) heralded the result in a joint statement.

“The SHIP Act is a critical step in preventing Iran from continuing to fund terror across the Middle East. We are proud to see this legislation receive widespread, bipartisan support here on Capitol Hill.”

The pair went on, “It's critical that we work to hold America's foreign adversaries accountable for their actions in supporting terrorist organizations across the globe. The SHIP Act sends a clear and strong message to bad actors like China, Russia, and others – do not help Iran avoid sanctions and assist them in their funding of terror, or face consequences.”

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who has supported such a measure in the upper chamber, also celebrated the SHIP Act's passage in the House, saying. “Our nation's foreign adversaries must know they will face consequences for empowering other regimes that are anti-democratic and anti-American.”

“We must enact and then rigorously enforce this bill so that those who are enriching themselves through the same of sanctioned oil, or linked with its illicit trade, are held accountable,” Rubio added.

The push comes on the heels of Biden administration overtures to bring Iran back into the Obama-era nuclear deal, the president's release – and subsequent re-freezing – of billions to Tehran, and his decision to waive prior sanctions in such a way as to provide Iran access to over $10 billion in electricity generation revenue, as the Examiner noted.

According to Sen. Katie Bitt (R-AL), “Since President Biden took office, Iran has profited nearly $80 billion from oil sales alone,” underscoring the constructive assistance Tehran has received and subsequently channeled toward bad actors in the region.

In the eyes of the editorial board of the Examiner, the Senate must swiftly follow the lead of the House and pass this legislation, noting that “Iran is the major sponsor, to the tune of nearly a billion dollars annually, of all three of the Middle East's most active terrorist groups, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.”

The editors add that to date, “27 senators, including, alas, only three Democrats, have co-sponsored companion legislation in their chamber, and it seems likely to pick up legislative momentum.”

“Biden ought to welcome the legislation, as it would be able to say the sanctions express the public's overwhelming will,” noting that “if just 18 of 51 Democrats join all 49 Senate Republicans in support of it, the bill would enjoy a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.”

The op-ed goes on to state that when the Senate returns to work after the holiday break, “it should immediately pass the SHIP Act unanimously or at least by a big margin,” asserting that the U.S. must “do all in its power to turn off the financial spigot for Iran's state supported terrorism,” and that is a position with which it is difficult to disagree.