{"id":2098985,"date":"2023-11-14T19:01:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T00:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-unlocks-fresh-funds-to-iran-totaling-billions\/"},"modified":"2023-11-14T19:03:21","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T00:03:21","slug":"biden-unlocks-fresh-funds-to-iran-totaling-billions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-unlocks-fresh-funds-to-iran-totaling-billions\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Unlocks Fresh Funds to Iran Totaling Billions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-unlocks-fresh-funds-to-iran-totaling-billions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2098985&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The Biden Administration Approves Sanctions Waiver Allowing Iran Access to $10 Billion\u2062 in \u2062Frozen Assets<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The Biden administration on Tuesday reapproved a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cruz-moves-to-take-taxpayer-money-from-iran-nuclear-deal-and-give-to-military-dogs\/\" title=\"Cruz Moves to Take Taxpayer Money from Iran Nuclear Deal and Give to Military Dogs\">sanctions waiver<\/a> that will allow Iran to access upward of $10 billion in frozen assets, the\u2062 State Department\u2064 confirmed to the <em>Washington Free Beacon<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The sanctions waiver, which was set to\u2063 expire\u200d today after\u200c first being authorized for a period of 120 days in July, allows Iraq to pay Iran for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-unlocks-fresh-payments-to-iran-totaling-billions\/\" title=\"Biden Unlocks Fresh Payments to Iran Totaling Billions\">multibillion-dollar electricity purchases<\/a>.\u200c This\u200b is the first\u2062 time the Biden administration has renewed the waiver since the Iran-backed terror group\u200d Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel that\u2064 was reported\u2062 to\u200c have been planned with Tehran&#8217;s support.<\/p>\n<p>Renewal of the\u2062 waiver\u2064 &#8220;allows Iraq to use its own funds to render payment for Iranian electricity \u2062imports into restricted Iranian accounts in\u2064 Iraq,&#8221;\u2062 a State Department official told the \u2064 <em>Free Beacon<\/em>,\u200b speaking only on background. &#8220;These \u200drestricted funds can only be used\u200b for humanitarian and other non-sanctionable transactions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>While Iran\u200b can only use the funds related \u2062to \u2064the sanctions waiver for the purchase of humanitarian goods,\u200d critics of \u200cthe administration&#8217;s\u2064 policy argue that by freeing up this cash, Iran can allocate other financial resources to\u200c its\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-opposition-to-top-defense-pick-grows\/\" title=\"GOP Opposition to Top Defense Pick Grows\">global terrorism operation<\/a>, \u2063which has been in overdrive since Hamas&#8217;s October 7 attack on Israel. Analysts place \u2063the amount of cash accessible by Iran at upward \u200dof $10 \u2064billion, as the <em>Free Beacon<\/em> first <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/national-security\/biden-mulls-approval-of-fresh-10-billion-payment-to-iran\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>In deciding to renew the \u2062waiver \u2064for an additional 120 days, the State Department official said, &#8220;Unfortunately, Iraq will not wean itself off of Iranian \u200cgas imports overnight.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The administration maintains that allowing these funds to\u2064 be accessed by Iran limits its leverage of the Iraqi government, which\u200c has\u2063 grown increasingly \u2064close to Tehran&#8217;s hardline regime in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is\u200c in the U.S. interest that this money leave\u2062 Iraq and be spent down from Iran&#8217;s \u200baccounts held overseas,&#8221; the State Department official went on. &#8220;Money \u200cused for non-sanctionable, allowable transactions\u2014like humanitarian \u200btrade\u2014is not available to \u2064Iran for \u200dother purposes, and it deprives Iran of leverage \u200bagainst the Iraqi government.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Critics, however, see \u200dthe \u2062sanctions waiver as proof that\u200b the administration is \u2062maintaining Tehran&#8217;s\u2062 financial channels, even\u2063 after it provided Hamas with the resources necessary to slaughter more than 1,200 \u200dIsraeli and take hostage many others,\u2064 including\u200d Americans.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The White House just responded to October 7th with a $10 billion reward,&#8221; Richard Goldberg, \u2062a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and sanctions expert who served on the White House National Security Council, told the <em>Free Beacon<\/em>. &#8220;Congress needs to act quickly to cut off Iran&#8217;s access to every penny.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For that\u200c reason,&#8221;\u200c Goldberg \u2063said, &#8220;this waiver continues to be necessary, to provide\u2064 space and time for \u200bthe government \u200cof Iraq \u2062to implement [Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani&#8217;s] \u2064energy\u200b reform agenda.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The State Department also confirmed that \u2063like July&#8217;s version of the waiver, Iraq will be able to transfer Iranian funds to third-party countries, including Oman and several in Europe.<\/p>\n<p>While the Trump administration during its time in office granted a sanctions waiver to Iraq for these electricity \u2062payments, it gave the authorization only on the condition that the payments were kept in an\u200c escrow account in Baghdad. The Biden administration&#8217;s\u2064 version allows the money to move outside the country, making \u2064it\u200c easier for Tehran\u200c to access the funds, according to Goldberg.<\/p>\n<p>The State Department maintains \u200bthat Iraq&#8217;s ongoing\u2063 payments to Iran effectively reduce &#8220;Iranian leverage over Iraq.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How can the Biden administration ensure that the released funds for humanitarian purposes are not diverted by Iran for illicit activities?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ncreasingly dependent on Iranian energy \u200bimports.\u200d The waiver is seen as a way\u200d to ensure the stability of Iraq&#8217;s energy supply while also supporting humanitarian needs.<\/p>\n<p>However, critics argue that the waiver sends a mixed message to Iran, especially in light of recent escalations \u200cin the \u2062region. \u2063They fear that\u2063 the release of these funds \u200bwill enable \u200bIran to\u200b continue supporting terrorist activities and destabilizing the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>The decision to renew the sanctions waiver\u2062 comes at \u2064a crucial time, as tensions in the region continue \u200bto rise. The attack on Israel by Hamas, reportedly planned with Iran&#8217;s support, has\u200b raised concerns about Iran&#8217;s influence and its \u2062role \u200din fueling conflicts in the region.<\/p>\n<p>The State Department&#8217;s assertion that the released funds can only\u200b be used for humanitarian purposes is meant to alleviate some of \u2062these concerns. However, skeptics argue that Iran has a history\u2062 of diverting funds for \u200cillicit purposes, and there is no guarantee that the released funds will not be \u200cused to support \u2063its \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-blame-pentagon-planner-colin-kahl-for-bungled-afghanistan-strategy\/\" title=\"Republicans Blame Pentagon Planner Colin Kahl for Bungled Afghanistan Strategy\">global terrorism operations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration&#8217;s approach to Iran has been a subject of intense scrutiny and debate. While the administration has expressed its commitment to\u200c reentering the Iran nuclear deal, it also aims to\u200c address Iran&#8217;s destabilizing activities in the region. The decision to renew the sanctions waiver can be seen as an attempt to strike a delicate balance between supporting Iraq&#8217;s energy needs\u200c and addressing concerns about Iran&#8217;s behavior.<\/p>\n<p>Moving forward,\u2062 it will be\u2062 essential for \u2063the Biden administration to clearly communicate its strategy for dealing with Iran. The release of these funds should be accompanied by increased oversight and monitoring to ensure that they are used strictly\u200b for\u200b humanitarian purposes as intended.<\/p>\n<p>As tensions in the region continue \u2063to escalate, the international \u200bcommunity will be closely watching how the Biden administration navigates its relationship with Iran. The\u200c reapproval of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-unlocks-fresh-funds-to-iran-totaling-billions\/\" title=\"Biden Unlocks Fresh Funds to Iran Totaling Billions\">sanctions waiver \u200craises important questions<\/a> about the \u200dadministration&#8217;s stance on Iran and its commitment to regional stability. Only time will tell how effective this approach \u200dwill be in \u200dachieving its desired outcomes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Biden administration on Tuesday reapproved a sanctions waiver that will allow Iran to access upward of $10 billion in frozen assets, the State Department confirmed to the Washington Free Beacon. The sanctions waiver, which was set to expire today after first being authorized for a period of 120 days in July, allows Iraq to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":2098986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2098985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2098985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2098985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2098985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2098986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2098985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2098985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2098985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}