Hayden Panettiere commends President Obama for condemning Iceland whale hunt

Actress and vegetarian Hayden Panettiere has weighed in on the news that the U.S. government has officially condemned Iceland’s disregard for the global moratorium on whaling.

The former Heroes star applauded President Obama for taking a stand against the unnecessary and cruel practice that has been taking place since 2006 when Iceland resumed its annual whale hunt.

"We commend President Obama and his administration for taking this strong action against Iceland and its barbaric whaling industry…" said Hayden Panettiere, international spokesperson for the Save the Whales Again! Campaign and The Whaleman Foundation, "And we urge the President to take similar action against Japan and Norway as well!"According to The Whaleman Foundation, the Obama administration “is citing Iceland under a domestic law called the Pelly Amendment that allows the president to act against foreign countries who defy international conservation laws and treaties.”

And considering the current political climate in the United States, it’s refreshing to see that President Obama followed through on a campaign promise he made during his 2008 run.

"When Hayden and I met with President Obama on the campaign trail back in January 2008, he said if he were elected president, he would take action against the whaling nations," said Jeff Pantukhoff, founder of The Whaleman Foundation and Save the Whales Again! Campaign. "We thank the President for keeping his word and taking this first bold step and we look forward to more bold moves from his administration to end commercial whaling once and for all!"

Iceland, Norway and Japan are the three remaining nations that still partake in commercial whaling.