U.S. Congressman Asks Secretary of State Blinken to Assess Communist-Iranian Relations
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Ariz.), the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Blinken asking him to assess several aspects of the relationship between China and Iran that are detrimental to the interests of the United States and its allies.
The letter said that in March, China and Iran reportedly signed a $400 billion investment agreement in exchange for Iran’s regular supply of oil to the Chinese government. The agreement also reportedly includes enhanced military cooperation between the two sides. Meanwhile, Iran has been increasing its oil exports to the Chinese Communist Party despite U.S. sanctions, and may have reached a new high in March.
The letter said the Chinese Communist Party is one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and has the ability to block efforts to limit Iran’s nefarious activities. If the Chinese Communist Party profits from these activities, it is less likely to cooperate with international efforts to reduce the Iranian threat. U.S. policy must prevent these two regimes from working together to harm U.S. interests.
The letter asks the Secretary of State to provide details of any violations of U.S. sanctions against Iran by Chinese Communist entities and asks whether the administration has issued warnings and imposed sanctions? Have Chinese Communist entities provided conventional weapons to Iran? Will increased Chinese investment in Iran and the infrastructure that may result spill over to U.S. strategic interests in the Middle East? Will increased Chinese Iranian oil trade affect global oil supplies and prices? Will it have a negative impact on U.S. industry?
The letter also asks whether the U.S. government believes that strengthening sanctions against Iran will affect Iran’s ability to continue exporting oil to China. At what level does the administration believe that Chinese and Iranian intelligence agencies are cooperating? Will it increase in the future?
The letter asks the Secretary of State to respond to these questions by May 7.
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