The Alaska delegation had mixed reaction to Iran’s weekend attack on Israel, in which it lobbed 120 missiles at Israel, and the reaction was from soup to nuts.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called out the Biden administration for appeasing a terrorist regime and declining to enforce oil sanctions against Iran, while at the same time shutting down oil and gas development on more than 10 million acres of land in Alaska.
Sullivan, a retired U.S. Marine, reiterated how it’s important for the United States to stand with Israel.
“One thing that was in my view disturbing, President Biden at least to the press that they were saying, hey, there should not be any more retaliation. I think we need to give Israel the rights. As a sovereign nation, they can retaliate if it is in their own interest,” Sullivan told CNBC’s Brian Sullivan.
“I will tell you this, the other thing we need to do, the Biden administration needs to stop appeasing Iran. You were talking about the policies as it relates to energy. This administration came in after the Trump Administration’s very successful, comprehensive approach to sanctions against Iran. The Biden Administration came in from day one and essentially has not enforced those sanctions. I think it is time to do it again. There would be bipartisan support, there is no doubt in the U.S. Senate to do that,” Sen. Sullivan said.
“The real irony is, as you know, right now, as opposed to sanctioning Iran or Venezuela with regard to oil, this administration is getting ready to sanction Alaska. They are sanctioning my state, my constituents, a lot more than they are sanctioning the terrorist regimes in Tehran or Venezuela,” Sen. Sullivan said.
“As you know, that is what this new proposal they are thinking about with the national petroleum reserve of Alaska, to shut that down. It’s one of the most prolific oil basins anywhere in the world. You have a policy, in my view, that is upside down. Hopefully they will finally recognize how this undermines America’s national security interests, and energy security interests as well,” he said.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski posted a message on X/Twitter: “I’m in the northernmost community in the United States – Utqiagvik – today, but our eyes are on the unprecedented events unfolding in the Middle East. I condemn Iran’s actions in the strongest terms and reiterate the United States’ firm commitment to stand with Israel. Godspeed to all who are working tirelessly to repel Iran’s senseless drone and missile attacks.”
On Monday, Murkowski added a new thought on X/Twitter: “After the events of this weekend, it’ll be interesting to see whether the Biden administration does more to restrict oil production in Alaska or from Iran over the next few weeks. This has never been a close call, but at this point, it’s completely indefensible to get it wrong.”
Rep. Mary Peltola was silent on Iran’s attack on Israel. She posted on social media the availability of fish shirts and promoted a bill she is sponsoring to provide mental health services to fishermen.
