In a bipartisan pairing, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) have called for a tougher approach to the ongoing threat posed by Iran.
The two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee sent a letter on Thursday to U.S. President Joe Biden, saying after the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, “our servicemen and women, our naval vessels, our other allies in the region, and international shipping have come under attack from Iranian funded, trained, coordinated and assisted groups.”
They also pointed to the 300-plus barrage of missiles and drones launched by Tehran overnight towards Israel on April 13-14, warning that it “demonstrably shows that our current approach to sanctions enforcement requires reassessment.”
The senators urged the United States and its allies to “increase pressure on Iran and limit to the greatest extent possible the revenues available for it to fund aggression and terrorism in the Middle East and beyond.” They pointed to enforcing sanctions on oil and gas as the “first and foremost” priority.
“Thank you for your consideration,” Blumenthal and Sullivan concluded their correspondence to Biden. “We stand ready to work with you to stem the threat that the government of Iran poses to global peace, security, and freedom.”
