April 22, 2010 | Press Release

House Appoints Conferees on Iran Sanctions Legislation

Washington, D.C. (April 22, 2010) – The Foundation for Defense of Democracies welcomed the appointment of House conferees to reconcile the differing House and Senate versions of sanctions legislation targeting the Iranian regime’s energy vulnerabilities.

“With the appointment of the House conferees, Congress is now poised to send to the President tough new sanctions on Iran’s energy sector — the lifeblood of men who rule Iran,” said FDD Executive Director Mark Dubowitz. “Congress deserves praise for providing overwhelming bipartisan support to measures that recognize the urgency of the Iranian threat and taking up the kinds of tough sanctions — including on gasoline sales to Iran — that President Obama called for during his presidential campaign.”

“Already we have seen that just the threat of sanctions has resulted in many of Iran’s largest gasoline suppliers, investors, banks, technology providers, and insurers reportedly exiting the market,” said Dubowitz. “However the time to deal with the Iranian threat is running out. It is critical that Congress and President Obama work together to rapidly enact and enforce this legislation. The U.S. government needs to send a clear message to both the Iranian regime and Iran’s energy partners that it is serious about vigorous and aggressive sanctions enforcement.”

The Senate appointed its conferees on March 11. The conferees are expected to meet soon to reconcile the differing House and Senate bills into a single piece of legislation to be passed by both houses and sent to President Obama for his signature.

FDD provides leading research and analysis in support of strong, broad-based energy sanctions, including gasoline, natural gas, and oil sanctions, as part of a comprehensive strategy to end the Iranian regime’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.

For more information, please visit FDD’s new Iran Energy Project website, IranEnergyProject.org, or contact Judy Mayka at [email protected] e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .