Tanzania must stop the practice of "re-flagging" Iranian oil tankers or it will face the threat of U.S. sanctions and damage its ties with Washington, a U.S. lawmaker warned on Friday.
Howard Berman, the ranking
member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, accused Tanzania of
reflagging at least six and possibly as many at 10 tankers owned by the
National Iranian Tanker Company.
"This
action by your government has the effect of assisting the Iranian
regime in evading U.S. and EU sanctions and generating additional
revenues for its nuclear enrichment and weapons research program and its
support for international terrorism," Berman said in a letter to
President Jakaya Kikwete that was obtained by Reuters.
Berman
said if the tankers were allowed to continue sailing under the
Tanzanian flag, Tanzania could face the sanctions that President Barack
Obama signed into law.
He said
Congress would also have "no choice" but to consider whether to continue
the range of bilateral U.S. programs with Tanzania.
Officials at Tanzania's embassy were not immediately available to comment on Berman's letter.
The sanctions, along with similar action by the European Union, are aimed at pressuring Iran
to curb its nuclear program, which the West believes aims to develop
nuclear weapons but which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes.
The United States gave China
a six-month reprieve from Iran financial sanctions on Thursday. The
Obama administration has now spared all 20 of Iran's major oil buyers
from its unilateral sanctions, rewarding them for cutting purchases of
Iranian oil.
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