The Biden administration renewed a sanctions waiver against the Iranian regime Wednesday that unlocks billions of dollars in previously frozen funds, The Washington Free Beacon reported.
The administration’s sanctions waiver, extended for another four months, allows Tehran access to $10 billion in previously frozen Iranian revenues collected from electricity exports, according to The Washington Free Beacon, which viewed the renewal notice.
President Joe Biden has been criticized for taking a soft-line stance against Iran, such as easing up on sanctions and paying out “ransom” for hostages, in a bid to appease the Islamist regime and deter it from hostility toward the West, which has not manifested promising results.
“Leave it to the Biden administration to be giving access to $10 billion to an Islamist regime that recently killed three American soldiers, maimed dozens more, has shut down shipping in the Red Sea, is barreling ahead with its nuclear weapons program, and is attacking Israel, America’s closest ally in the Middle East,” Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“The Biden administration keeps giving billions of dollars to the Islamic Republic [of Iran] in the hope that it will buy better behavior. It only encourages much greater aggression,” Dubowitz said. “When will they learn?”
Four members of the US Congress, @RepHuizenga, @RepBrianMast, @RepBlaine and @RepJoeWilson, have in a letter to @SecBlinken and @SecYellen raised “serious questions” about the Biden admin’s enforcement of Iran sanctions, calling for explanations about its decision to waive… pic.twitter.com/GvCVnjShZn
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 12, 2024
The sanctions waiver policy was instituted by the Trump administration in 2018 to allow Iraq—in desperate need of energy—to pay Iran for electricity imports, but on the strict condition that Baghdad would not pay Tehran in cash and that the funds could be used only for humanitarian purposes, the Beacon reported. The Biden administration continued this policy, but in 2023 allowed the funds to be transferred to a bank in Oman to be doled out to Iran.
“This is not the same waiver for Iraqi electricity imports that has been issued since 2018,” Richard Goldberg, senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said in a statement Wednesday. “This is an Iran sanctions relief waiver that allows Tehran to access money and use it for budget support, including debt payments and import subsidies. That was not allowed prior to last summer.”
Several Republican lawmakers sent a letter Monday to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanding to know the reasoning behind continuing the policy, especially in light of Iran’s recent aggression in the Middle East. The lawmakers also want to know how much money Iran has directly accessed since sanctions were lifted.
Iran masterminds and funds over a dozen terror groups throughout the Middle East region, including Hamas, which killed over 1,200 civilians in Israel on Oct. 7. The regime’s terror network is also responsible for killing three U.S. troops at a coalition base in Jordan in late January, which prompted retaliatory strikes from the U.S. against targets in Iraq and Syria.
The Biden administration has made several concessions to Iran since Biden took office in January 2021, including easing up on oil sanctions, allowing Tehran to rake in billions of dollars and paying a $6 billion “ransom” fee in exchange for five American prisoners unjustly held in Iran.
The State and Treasury departments did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation
Reprinted with permission from The Daily Signal by Jake Smith.
This is what happens when you allow a soft coup to go unchallenged by the citizens of the country. You end up with a very long list of things that would otherwise never have happened. Just add this to the growing list. So, I’m sure this will not be the last payment of billions of dollars to Iran, who have vowed to “death to America” since 1979, as the Democrats continue to aid our adversaries and destroy our country from within.
Oh and i wonder how much he and his family get in a kickback from Iran for releasing the money. Remember that side business he, his son and brother have going. ????
I’m beginning to think that liberal democrats have all secretly converted to Islam.
Can’t think of any other reason for their persistence in transferring billions of dollars to Iran, again, and again
Iran that creates and funds Shia Muslim terrorist groups that have attack Israel & Western nation’s stuff for going on five decades.
I am amazed and angered that President Joe Biden has once again made our nation unsafe by releasing funds to Iran. The sanctions were in place to curtail their influence for the terrorist groups they support . It probably paid for airline tickets to Mexico so that they could infiltrate our country through Biden’s open border policy and conduct terrorist activities here.
Biden is only continuing what Obama started
Wow. Coming right after Schumer reams out Netanyahu for trying to protect his country, suggesting a change of some kind in Israel’s elections (can’t remember the exact details). Do you see a pattern here?
I believe the Biden Administration is doing its utmost to lay the groundwork for full fledged world war apparently believing that voters won’t change leadership during a war, or creating such havoc in the world that if Trump does get elected he will be so preoccupied trying to put the world back into peaceful existence that he wont have the time of money to stop the communist takeover of our country.
“WHEN WILL THEY LEARN?” The question is, “When will we learn?” Aiding and abetting an enemy is traitorous. And yet, spineless Republicans, Independents, and others, have been floundering in the swamp allowing all kinds of misdeeds without any serious attempt to stop them. For three years we have listened to many in Congress crying “foul” and nothing (very, very, little) has changed. Our country is sinking in the swamp more each day and we continue to see finger-pointing without action. Wake up, America!!! We, we the citizens must accept accountability for what has happened and what continues to happen. If anyone is expecting a bolt of lightning to strike and correct the wrongs, they will wait until there is no longer a United States to save.
It’s all in the Marxists’ playbook of America’s destruction and eliminating 90% of American population.
It is not about learn but it is about who he and his administration are working for and it isn’t the American people.
A gun confiscated from a murderer is his property, do we give that back too? But I’m all for Iran getting back all its property! Tell me, where do we return all the IEDS VBIEDS Iran left in Iraq so they don’t inadvertently kill or maim any more US military?
I would approve a few million $$ worth of MOABs delivered ONTO the leadership of Iran via B-1s, B-2s, and B-52’s.
When will the Biden Administration learn? NEVER!
It is not a mistake or an accident. The closer we get to the Election, the more chaos the Democrats want to cover up all their sneakery with the vote. It worked last time. Think about it. Every time the finger started pointing at a Democrat, some kind of catastrophe happened to draw our attention away from the REAL problem.
You sir, are an democrat communist idiot. Riden with Biden. And Comrade O.
The dems do what they want. Is it good for America, that is not what the criteria is for doing it. Is it anti Trump policy? Okay let’s do it. It’s all political with ole Joe. Their court cases against Trump are falling apart. The people have seen through the dems tactics. All noise but no substance. Like the 32 hr workweek. It’s not thought through. My grandparents worked 12 hr days my parents worked 45 hours weekly. So did I. Till Saturday was declared a free day. And with all the conveniences everyone has at hand you are telling me people are tired? Come on, hard work never hurt anyone. Obesity will rise, productivity will go down. We won’t be able to compete and all the jobs will go overseas. This is a plot to bring America down.
Nothing associated with this degenerate democrat party happens by accident. “Bought and paid for”, as they say, but, the ultimate price for this has yet to be seen.
The leftists have learned. Funding Iran is but one of Obama’s (yeah, I said Obama) narrative to “fundamentally changing America,” empowering his Shiite and Marxist ideology and maintaining power in perpetuity for the demons currently in stolen office for the destruction of our Constitutional Republic (and everyone, please don’t give in to the idea that the U.S. is a democracy. That’s just the first step to becoming a socialist state. America was founded as a Republic). The left exploited our legal system to pass laws that are not Constitutional and therefore should not be recognized as legal law, but they’ve been allowed by law-abiding Americans to go forward because of the “legal process.” Like the ATF ginning up their “rules,” since they don’t make laws. As another one accurately stated, “This is what happens when you allow a soft coup to go unchallenged…” What will the pushback be? Will we allow our Republic go “quietly into the night”?
This Biden move gives Iran 10 billion more for terrists attacks and pries he does not care if Americans live or die see you in November uncle Joe your done!
more proof that Comrade obama is running the show……
This is actually the Obama- Muslim Brotherhood releasing these funds.
Better check if the Big Guy got his 10%.
How does a country with our history Allow the excessive Treason of one party to railroad with the lawlessness that the Mindful have to put up with it.Time for a Emergency Justice system, EJS. Its time to do away with it for good; its time for two parties that Only have the Peoples best interest at Heart and Allow them to out do each other, let the Best party be voted in.
God Almighty Himself, yes the One that We were made in the Image of according to His word; appears to be the only force that will stop the forces that are against America the beautiful. I will add though that it may be prophesy that our USA goes down due to our original birthright turning its back in blatant disobedience against His ordinances. God forbid; what if a serious remnant was to plead for His intervention, that is Multitudes of AMAC subscribed and not were to bow the knee inSerious confession