Sen. Santorum cast deciding vote to maintain loophole which allows companies like Halliburton to evade the U.S. ban on doing business with terrorist states such as Iran.

Santorum And Halliburton's Trade With Iran
PA Jr. Senator's Defense At Casey-Santorum Debate...

-- David Goldenberg

Santorum's vote enabling Halliburton to continue trading with Iran featured in last month's article, has sparked considerable feedback, including two editorials in the Washington Times defending Santorum. The question was raised again at the recent Casey-Santorum debate.

Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum (R) mischaracterized Halliburton's activities in Iran in his final debate yesterday with Pennsylvania State Treasurer Bob Casey (D-PA). 

The prime sponsor of Senate legislation to close the sanctions loophole with Iran, Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), reacted to Santorum's falsehoods today.

"Rick Santorum has repeatedly refused to close the loophole in our sanctions law which allows the Iranian Government to generate more revenue that they can pass on to terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah," said Senator Lautenberg. "Rick Santorum tries to give the impression that he is tough on Iran, but when its time to stand up to powerful companies like Halliburton, Rick Santorum stands down."

For several years, Senator Lautenberg has been working to close a loophole in U.S. sanctions law that allows U.S. companies to do business with Iran through foreign subsidiaries. One of the biggest violators of this loophole is Halliburton, the company run by Vice President Dick Cheney just prior to taking office in 2001.

During Monday's debate, under pressure from Casey, Santorum made several false statements about Halliburton's business with Iran:

RICK SANTORUM: "It is already illegal for Halliburton to do business in Iran."

Wrong!

A Halliburton subsidiary, Halliburton Products & Services Ltd., not only does business with Iran, but it also has a Tehran office according to Money Magazine. 

RICK SANTORUM: ?It [Halliburton Products and Support, Ltd.] is not a Halliburton subsidiary."

Wrong, again!

In August 2004, CBS News? 60 Minutes revealed that Halliburton was using a subsidiary named ?Halliburton Products & Services Ltd." to do business with Iran. 60 Minutes went to the Cayman Islands, which is where the subsidiary is incorporated, and found that the company doesn't even have an office on the island.

Halliburton workers in Pars, Iran. (NBC Nightly News, Mar. 7, 2005)

In addition, on March 7, 2005, NBC Nightly News ran a story that showed video of Halliburton workers operating in an oil field in Pars, Iran:

Rick Santorum Votes To Keep Loophole Open, and Keeps Funds Flowing to Iran

In May 2004, Senator Lautenberg offered an amendment on the Senate floor to close the loophole that allows foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies from doing business with Iran. Rick Santorum voted against the amendment to close the Iran Sanctions Loophole, and the amendment failed by one vote. Senator Lautenberg brought the issue to a vote two more times in the Senate, and Rick Santorum voted against it every time. (S.2400, S.2845, S.1042)