Senate Urges Embargo on Oil From Iran

The Senate, reacting to Iran’s mining of shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf, voted unanimously Tuesday to impose a U.S. embargo on Iranian crude oil and other imports, a move that supporters said would “brand the Iranians as the outlaws they truly are.”

The measure, approved by a 98-0 vote, was proposed by Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.), a contender for the 1988 presidential nomination, apparently in an effort to capitalize on the widespread anti-Iranian sentiment reflected in recent U.S. public opinion polls.

It was a largely symbolic vote, however, because it was not offered as an independent bill but instead as an amendment to a $303-billion defense spending measure that President Reagan already has vowed to veto for other reasons.

At the same time, members of the Senate remain sharply divided on the issue of whether Reagan must seek the approval of Congress to continue his policy of providing Navy escorts for Kuwaiti oil tankers flying the U.S. flag through the Persian Gulf.

Leaders of both parties huddled privately throughout the day in an effort to break a logjam created by a Democratic proposal to force the President to seek congressional approval to continue his reflagging policy in the Persian Gulf. Republicans threatened to filibuster both the Persian Gulf amendment and another that would force Reagan to abide by terms of the unratified 1979 strategic arms limitation treaty.

Dole said that the Iranian embargo vote will send a message that the United States “will not tolerate business as usual” as long as Iran continues to mine shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf and refuses to negotiate an end to its seven-year-old war with Iraq. He added that Iranian oil revenues are paying for Chinese-made Silkworms and other missiles that threaten U.S. forces in the gulf.

The “Ayatollah (Ruhollah) Khomeini wants to put a gun to our heads, and we’re paying for it,” he said.

In addition to crude oil products, the Dole amendment would ban the importation of textiles, pistachio nuts and other Iranian products.

According to the Commerce Department, Iranian oil sales to the United States have risen sharply this year. Figures released Monday show that imports of oil and petroleum products from Iran went from $498 million in all of 1986 to $819 million through July of this year.

Iranian shipments amounted to more than 11% of the total oil imported by the United States in July, and that provided Iran with about one-third of its total oil revenues, according to the Commerce Department figures. The United States, meanwhile, exports only about $40 million a year in goods to Iran, mostly oil-field equipment.

Dole maintained that most Americans would be surprised to learn that the United States is still trading with Iran, particularly after U.S. forces recently fired upon the crew of an Iranian vessel caught laying mines in the gulf.

“We’ve had enough warning shots across the bow,” he said. “Now’s the time for action.”

Proponents of the measure acknowledged that an embargo was not likely to have any impact on Iran, which would simply sell its oil elsewhere. But Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) emphasized the action’s symbolic importance by arguing that it was necessary “to brand the Iranians as the outlaws they truly are.”

Dole said he has reason to believe that the Administration is considering a similar move independent of Congress, but White House officials said the President has not yet taken a position on an embargo.

“We want to take a look at it,” a spokesman said.

Earlier in the day, the Senate cast a voice vote for a resolution offered by Dole commending U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf.

“The 24-hour-a-day pressure cooker in which they must work is a tough challenge, but our men and women have passed the test with flying colors,” the senator said.

Despite recent U.S. successes in the region, Democrats appear to have majority support for an amendment that would halt U.S. escort operations for reflagged Kuwaiti tankers within 90 days of enactment unless Congress voted otherwise.

The amendment, authored by Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) and Senate Armed Services Chairman Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), was conceived as a way to force the President to consult with Congress on the policy. It was proposed as an alternative to the provisions of the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which requires the President to notify Congress within 48 hours after U.S. troops become involved in “imminent hostilities.”