Lankford to Instruct China Bill Conferees to Prevent Growing Iran-China Alliance

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today announced that he will offer a Motion to Instruct (MTI) conferees to the so-called “China bill” that would require any deal with Iran to address Chinese purchases of Iranian oil, along with Iran’s nuclear proliferation, ballistic missile development, and support for terrorism. The MTI would also prohibit the President from lifting the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the military of the world’s leading State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST).

“It is past time for Congress to speak clearly that a nuclear deal with the Iranian regime, negotiated by Russia and China on behalf of the Biden Administration, that allows missile proliferation, lifts sanctions on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and sets a clear timeline toward Iran having a bomb is unacceptable,” said Lankford. “I want the conferees to hear from the Senate that we do not want the United States to make a nuclear deal with Iran that ignores their past behavior and their present intentions. This is a moment for Congress to push the Administration to demonstrate strength through decisive action, not weakness through negotiating with terrorist regimes.”

This week, reports continue to roll in on the ongoing and increasing military cooperation between Beijing and Tehran. Additionally, reports indicate that China is increasingly reliant on oil from Iran—constituting nearly two-thirds of Iran’s foreign petroleum sales last month in violation of US sanctions. Iran’s terrorist activity in the region has also doubled since President Biden took office, showcasing the effectiveness of President Trump’s strategy of “maximum pressure” and the failure of President Biden’s strategy of “maximum appeasement.”

Lankford is the lead sponsor of the Iran Sanctions Preservation Act, which is supported by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and would prohibit any president from lifting sanctions on Iran’s energy industry or financial services sector unless the Iranian regime ends its nuclear program, support for terrorism, or use of ballistic missiles.

As the White House currently works to reinstate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the “Iran Nuclear Deal, Lankford continues to call out the Administration that re-entering the deal only helps Iran become a nuclear power and creates additional national security concerns for Americans at home and abroad. Lankford and 48 Republican Senators came together to tell the Biden Administration that they will not support the revived Iran Deal, which, according to public reports, will weaken sanctions and lessen restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program.

“As the Biden Administration rushes to get Iran into a new nuclear deal, it is imperative that Iran be held accountable for its range of nefarious activities, to include documented cheating on the 2015 nuclear deal (the JCPOA), being the lead state sponsor of terrorism, and its ballistic weapons program. Our allies in the region, particularly Israel and Gulf monarchies, feel the impact of these activities as targets of Iran’s proxies. President Trump reversed this dangerous policy by imposing a maximum pressure campaign against the Iranian regime, taking out their chief terrorist mastermind Qasem Soleimani and restoring a strategic deterrent against the Iranian government, and the world was more peaceful for it. Sadly, we are in far more dangerous times and decisive leadership is needed to prevent a growing threat,” said The Honorable John Ratcliffe and Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Keith Kellogg, Co-Chairs, Center for American Security, America First Policy Institute (AFPI), along with The Honorable Fred Fleitz, the Vice Chair of AFPI.

“We are grateful to @SenatorLaknford for his strong opposition to a nuclear #Iran. Every Senator who opposes Iran’s malign activities should support Sen. Lanford’s MTI,” tweeted Christians United for Israel.

“The evil regimes in China and Aidan are inextricably linked. Any coherent US foreign policy recognizes this fundamental fact. It is, therefore, necessary and correct for the Senate to advance strict guardrails on the administration’s dealing with Iran as Congress seeks to confront China. This is necessary for both skeptics of this particular approach to dealing with China and for its supporters. I am grateful for the hard work and leadership Sen. Lankford is exercising on this vital issue,” said Dr. Kevin Roberts, President of the Heritage Foundation.

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