WASHINGTON, DC -- MARCH 23, 2012 -- Arent Fox’s Michael Burton, a partner in the firm’s international trade practice, was quoted in March 23, 2012 edition of The Wall Street Journal discussing a US congressional bill to expand United States sanctions against Iran.

In an article titled “US Bill Could Create Clash Between Vitol’s Iran And US Business”, Dow Jones Newswire reporter Benoit Faucon writes:

“(A) bill with some bipartisan support from key U.S. senators would bar companies which engage in trading activity with Iran from buying oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, if it’s passed into law. Authors of the bill are Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the ranking member on the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington State, the chairwoman of the Energy Subcommittee. … The Senate bill banning Iranian oil buyers from purchasing crude from U.S. strategic reserves is “highly likely to pass” because it’s narrow enough to avoid hurting U.S. interests and has bipartisan support, said Michael Burton, a lawyer who specializes in sanctions law compliance at Arent Fox LLP in Washington, DC. In an election year, “it’s very hard to oppose anything against Iran that is not unduly broad,” Burton said.

To read the full article online at The Wall Street Journal’s website, please visit WSJ.com (subscription required).