As Israeli officials continue to weigh how they will respond to Iran's unprecedented attack over the weekend, the Biden administration is facing new pressure over continued funding for the Islamic regime.
"As Biden again tries to hold Israel back from defending itself while maintaining both United States and United Nations sanctions relief for Iran, he risks confirming the ayatollah’s calculation — and guaranteeing a more dangerous future for America and our democratic allies. Iran’s weekend attack against Israel was not symbolic or performative — it was an unprecedented and unacceptable act of war," Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior advisor Richard Goldberg writes in the New York Post.
"Just last month, Biden renewed a sanctions waiver giving Iran access to upwards of $10 billion to be used as budget support," he continues. "Biden’s desperation for a renewed nuclear deal was never clearer than in October, just days after the Hamas massacre, when he allowed the UN’s missile embargo on Iran to expire rather than work with European allies to trigger the 'snapback' of UN sanctions — a mechanism to restore all multilateral restrictions on Iran without a Russian or Chinese veto."
Putting aside the debate over Israel's military response, which remains necessary to impose costs on Iran for what just transpired...
— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) April 14, 2024
Right now, the White House has a $10 billion sanctions waiver for Iran in effect, does not enforce oil sanctions on Iran, and opposes the…
About a month ago, the Biden admin renewed a sanctions waiver that gave Iran access to $10 billion in cash. This currency, critics say, frees up cash for Tehran’s terror on Israel…https://t.co/4PAWDw6C7u https://t.co/xR2Z2k6st2
— Adam Kredo (@Kredo0) April 13, 2024
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are also pointing out the waiver from the Biden administration, which funds Iran's terrorism around the globe.
“Iran has encircled Israel and has been attacking our Israeli allies from almost every front for months. They have launched attacks from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, the West Bank, Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon, and of course the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Now they have escalated by launching attacks directly from Iranian territory. These attacks are enabled and financed by deliberate policy choices made by Joe Biden and Biden officials, who have allowed roughly $100 billion to flow to Iran since 2021. Americans and Israelis have been made catastrophically more vulnerable by these policies," Senator Ted Cruz released in a statement Saturday.
“Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Iran has made a huge mistake in attacking America’s closest ally in the Middle East. Israel will emerge from this crisis stronger. As I have always done, I stand with Israel to do whatever it takes to defend itself,” he continued.
Let’s not forget Joe Biden signed off on a sanction’s waiver giving Iran access to $10 billion in cold hard cash in foreign banks. He signed off on the waiver on March 13, a full 6 weeks after an Iranian-backed drone attack killed 3 American soldiers.
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) April 13, 2024
Last month, the Biden administration re-approved a sanctions waiver against Iran, letting the terrorist regime access $10 billion in funds.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) April 14, 2024
Last week an official from the Treasury Department admitted the money is used by Iran for attacks.
The Deputy Secretary of Treasury tells Senators that the US is giving Iran access to billions of dollars *knowing* that the money will be used to subsidize illicit activities. Zero pretense. A stunning commentary making the case better than anyone could to end the waiver. https://t.co/WBuiVoLtI7
— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) April 9, 2024
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