{"id":2197530,"date":"2024-03-12T14:18:01","date_gmt":"2024-03-12T18:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-poised-to-grant-iran-billions-in-sanctions-relief-lawmakers-warn\/"},"modified":"2024-03-12T14:20:47","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T18:20:47","slug":"biden-admin-poised-to-grant-iran-billions-in-sanctions-relief-lawmakers-warn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-poised-to-grant-iran-billions-in-sanctions-relief-lawmakers-warn\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers caution Biden Admin on granting Iran billions in sanctions relief"},"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\">22<\/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-admin-poised-to-grant-iran-billions-in-sanctions-relief-lawmakers-warn%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=2197530&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--><blockquote>\n<h2>Sanctions \u2062waiver unlocks upward of \u2064$10 billion for Tehran<\/h2>\n<figure><figcaption>Ayatollah Khamenei (Mohammad Sadegh Heydari\/Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>The\u2064 Biden administration is on the verge \u2063of granting Iran\u200d a fresh sanctions waiver, which will provide the country with access to over $10 billion in frozen\u200c assets. \u2062This move has\u200d sparked concerns among a group of GOP lawmakers who believe \u2063it will serve as &#8220;a\u200c financial lifeline&#8221; for Tehran\u2063 as it continues to \u2064fuel \u2062terrorism in the\u2064 Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>In November, following Hamas&#8217;s attack on \u200cIsrael, the \u200bState Department signed off on a\u200d sanctions waiver allowing Iraq to transfer multibillion-dollar electricity payments to Iran. This waiver, which grants Tehran access\u2064 to approximately $10 billion in\u200d frozen funds, is set to expire \u200dsoon unless the\u200b Biden administration renews it.<\/p>\n<p>The concerned Republican lawmakers have \u2064sent a letter \u200dto the Treasury and\u2062 State Departments, urging the Biden administration to \u2064disclose the amount of \u200ccash Iran has accessed \u200dsince\u2062 the lifting of sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>Amidst Iran&#8217;s support for terrorist proxies \u2064like Hamas, Hezbollah,\u2063 and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the decision to issue the sanctions waiver has drawn criticism. Critics argue that it will enable Iran to continue funding \u2063its terrorist allies during\u2062 a period \u2063of \u200dheightened violence in the Middle \u2062East.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Given the Biden Administration&#8217;s posture on the last waiver, we presume that the Biden Administration will renew\u2062 the waiver again to continue\u2062 to\u2063 allow for the transfer of funds from Iraq to Oman,&#8221;\u200c wrote four Republican lawmakers, led by Rep. Bill\u2064 Huizenga (Mich.), \u2064in the\u200d letter. &#8220;By waiving the application \u200bof\u2062 sanctions, the Administration is\u2063 maintaining a\u2064 financial lifeline for the\u2063 Iranian regime, even as it continues to support terrorist \u2064organizations around the world.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The waiver permits Iraq to transfer payments for electricity\u2062 imports \u200bfrom Iran into\u200c accounts outside the country, \u2063which can be utilized by Tehran for humanitarian purposes such as food and medicine. However, critics argue that money is fungible,\u2063 and if\u200b granted access to aid dollars, Iran can allocate resources to its terrorism enterprise.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Iran has a history of lying about humanitarian transactions,&#8221; the lawmakers express. \u2062&#8221;There is no reason \u2063to\u200b think \u200cthat they will\u200d not\u2064 try to skirt \u2064these restrictions again. \u200cAdditionally, money is fungible, and the \u2062waiver and subsequent transfer will free up billions in funds that Iran can now spend on its terrorist proxies,\u200b nuclear activities, and military.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>These concerns are particularly significant considering Iran&#8217;s support for Hamas and \u200bother terrorist allies\u200c in the \u200bregion.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;While the Biden administration alluded to\u200d a \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/drone-that-killed-us-troops-was-iranian-made-officials-say\/\" title=\"Officials say the drone that killed US troops was made in Iran\">multi-tiered response<\/a> to Hamas&#8217; \u2063attack, it\u200d has not addressed if and how waiving sanctions on Iran is part of the \u200dstrategy to counter \u2063Iran&#8217;s destabilizing role in the Middle East,&#8221; the lawmakers \u200chighlight.<\/p>\n<p>Renewing the sanctions\u200d waiver \u200dwould also contradict recent statements from senior administration officials acknowledging Iran&#8217;s \u200dinvolvement in the ongoing conflict in Israel and surrounding areas.<\/p>\n<p>Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh stated in late January that the administration &#8220;will continue to call out the fact that Iran does\u2063 fund and equip these \u200bgroups and provide them \u2062the capabilities that they use to attack our service members.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Richard Goldberg, a\u200b former member of the White House National Security Council, emphasized \u2063that renewing \u200cthe waivers would further support \u2063Iran&#8217;s malicious activities.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s subsidizing daily attacks \u200con the\u2063 U.S. Navy in the Red Sea, it&#8217;s subsidizing drones and \u200dmissiles sent to [Russian president Vladimir] \u200b Putin, and it&#8217;s subsidizing the abuse\u2064 of Iranian \u2063women,&#8221; said Goldberg, a\u2063 senior adviser at the Foundation\u200c for Defense of Democracies think tank.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Congress can stop the money flow,&#8221; he added. &#8220;The Senate \u2062is\u2064 sitting on a House-passed bill that would\u2063 freeze \u200dthe money, lock it down\u2064 immediately. But if Senate\u200c Republicans \u200cwon&#8217;t fight for \u200cit, Biden will keep subsidizing\u2064 the mullahs \u200ball the way through November.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The\u200b State Department has not responded to inquiries regarding the \u200crenewal of the sanctions waiver.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, when the\u200b most recent waiver was approved, a State Department spokesman assured that the\u200b &#8220;restricted funds can \u2064only be used for \u2064humanitarian and other\u2062 non-sanctionable transactions.&#8221; The official added, &#8220;It is in the U.S. interest that this money leave Iraq and be spent\u2062 down\u200d from Iran&#8217;s <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\">accounts held overseas<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200bWhat potential risks do\u2062 opponents of the \u200dsanctions waiver highlight in relation to Iran&#8217;s history \u200cof supporting \u200bterrorism, and how can these risks be mitigated\u2064 to promote\u2063 stability in\u200c the region<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2062Terrorist organizations. \u2062In recent weeks, Hamas has \u2064launched thousands \u200cof \u2064rockets \u200dinto Israel, resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians \u200dand the destruction of infrastructure.\u2062 Iran has openly\u2064 expressed its support for Hamas and its objectives, providing them with financial aid, weapons, \u200band technological support. By granting\u200b the sanctions waiver, \u200bthe Biden administration \u200dmay inadvertently be fueling the cycle of violence \u200bin the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>The letter from \u2064the Republican lawmakers also raises questions about the \u200dtransparency of\u200c the \u2064Biden administration&#8217;s approach to Iran. They\u200c are calling for \u200dthe \u2062disclosure of the amount of money Iran has accessed since \u2062the lifting of sanctions, highlighting \u200bconcerns that it may be used to finance\u2064 further acts of terrorism. Transparency and accountability are crucial in ensuring that\u200d the funds are being used for legitimate humanitarian purposes and not \u200dto\u2064 support violence and\u200c instability in the region.<\/p>\n<p>Opponents \u2063of\u200d the sanctions waiver argue that Iran has a long history of\u200c supporting terrorist organizations and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-and-us-dispute-over-us-warship-in-south-china-sea\/\" title=\"China and US clash over US warship in South China Sea\">violating international norms<\/a>. \u200dIt was \u2063only \u2064a few years ago that the Iran nuclear deal, which aimed\u2064 to curb Iran&#8217;s\u200d nuclear ambitions, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-fed-nominee-suffers-from-selective-amnesia-more-than-35-times-in-response-to-senate-republicans\/\" title=\"Biden Fed Nominee Suffers from 'Selective Amnesia' More than 35 Times in Response to Senate Republicans\">faced intense scrutiny<\/a>\u200b and criticism\u2064 for its failure to\u2064 address Iran&#8217;s\u2064 support for terrorism. \u200cGranting the sanctions waiver without robust mechanisms to ensure accountability and prevent misuse of funds \u200dcould undermine the efforts to \u2063promote stability and peace in \u2063the \u2062region.<\/p>\n<p>It is essential for the Biden administration to \u200bcarefully consider the implications\u200b of granting the\u2063 sanctions \u200dwaiver. While humanitarian aid is undoubtedly necessary, it must be done \u200din\u2064 a way that does not inadvertently fund terrorism or enable Iran to continue its destabilizing activities in the Middle East. By ensuring\u2063 transparency, implementing safeguards, and holding Iran \u2063accountable, the\u200d Biden administration can strike a balance between providing relief to the Iranian people and preventing\u2064 the\u200b misuse of funds for\u200b nefarious purposes.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion,\u2063 the upcoming sanctions waiver for Iran raises\u2063 concerns among GOP \u2064lawmakers\u200c about the\u200c potential financial \u2062lifeline it may\u200c provide to the Iranian \u2062regime, \u2063which continues to\u200d support terrorist organizations and \u200cfuel violence in the \u200cMiddle East. The Biden\u2063 administration\u200b must\u200d carefully consider the implications\u2064 of this decision, \u200btaking into account the need for humanitarian\u200c assistance while ensuring transparency and accountability in the use\u200d of funds. By doing so, they can mitigate the risks associated with providing Iran access to frozen assets and\u2062 contribute \u2062to stability in the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Biden administration plans to grant Iran a new sanctions waiver, unlocking over $10 billion in frozen assets. This move will provide Tehran with much-needed financial support, despite concerns about its involvement in terrorism in the Middle East<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":2197531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Ayatollah_khamenei._by_YPA.ir_01_736x514.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2197530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Ayatollah_khamenei._by_YPA.ir_01_736x514.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197530","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=2197530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2197531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2197530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2197530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2197530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}