“Speak softly and carry a big stick.” “Peace through strength.” “America First.” Many great presidents have emphasized and re-emphasized the importance of demonstrating strength to deter conflict.
The Iranian Prisoner Swap is just the latest example of Joe Biden’s bow of weakness on the world stage. The crooked deal rewards bad behavior with $6 billion in unfrozen funds and 5 returned Iranian prisoners. It’s a great deal for our enemies, a bad deal for our allies – which is not surprising since Biden can’t seem to tell them apart.
Last Monday, after two years of negotiations with Iran, Biden announced that five Americans who have been imprisoned in Iran are finally coming home. We should all celebrate the freeing of the five Americans, but detest the deal made for their freedom. In exchange for the five Americans, we are freeing five Iranian prisoners and providing an oppressive regime known for egregious human rights abuses with $6,000,000,000 in barely-regulated funds to be used for “humanitarian purposes.” How could that possibly go wrong?
Writing a blank check to our enemy in good faith that they will use it for good is nothing but naive and incredibly dangerous.
Iran is a bully and a threat to our ally Israel, and Biden’s appeasement only makes them stronger. We are writing a sizable check to one of the biggest bullies on the world stage, enabling them to bolster their resources which could potentially be used to threaten Israel or our Gulf Arab allies. Iran is the most significant funder of Hezbollah and Hamas, two terrorist groups that regularly attack Iran and wreak havoc in the Middle East. The money given to Iran though designated for “humanitarian purposes” is fungible and can free up other money for these terrorist groups.
Just last week, Iran threatened to “cut Israel’s life short” if they make threats against Iran’s security. Revolutionary Guard Chief Hossein Salami went on to claim that America is in decline. Iran has targeted U.S. forces more than 70 times since Biden was inaugurated. The Mullahs are chanting “death to America,” and we are funding them.
Our President is weak, our military is woke, and our adversaries are taking notice.
We need strength in Washington demonstrated around the world to deter aggression from nations like Russia, China, and Iran. But Joe Biden has done the opposite. Beginning with the disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan, Biden has shown weakness to our enemies. In Ukraine – Putin did not invade with President Trump in office — strong leadership and US military deterrence stopped the Russians. But Biden’s dithering with sanctions and assistance started and have allowed the war to persist. Right now, we have a President in office who is using valuable time that could be used to prepare troops for combat to train them on pronoun sensitivity. When I served in the US Navy, we knew that the mission was critical and the only parts of speech we worried about were “red, white, and blue.” We are facing a historic recruitment crisis at a time when our military needs to be stronger than ever. We have a President in office who can’t distinguish our Allies from our Adversaries and who divides America and Americans.
Let’s be clear, Iran — the world’s largest state sponsor of terror — is not an ally. Biden’s weakness towards them is an affront to our efforts to hold them accountable in Congress.
I was proud to introduce the MASHA act, a bipartisan measure named in honor of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who was murdered by the Iranian Regime for not wearing her hijab to the standards of the morality police. The bipartisan measure overwhelmingly passed through the house earlier this month, and would sanction Iran’s Supreme Leader and his inner circle, sending a message to the Iranians that the United States of America stands against the human rights abuses they are forced to endure.
Make no mistake, it is a great day whenever American hostages come home and reunite with their families. But Biden’s crooked deal puts $6,000,000,000 worth of resources in the hands of our enemies and demonstrates to them, and to the world, that we are willing to side with the Iranians who are terrorists and bullies over our closest allies.
Jim Banks represents Indiana’s Third District in Congress. He is an Afghanistan veteran, and serves in the House Committee on Armed Services, House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. He is currently running for the United States Senate, and is endorsed by President Trump.
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