As the crisis of Russia invading Ukraine continues in Eastern Europe, the Biden administration is still negotiating with the Iranian regime. His diplomatic team in Vienna, where talks are ongoing, has desperate hopes to get back into a nuclear agreement.
Currently, Iran is classified as the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. State Department. Reportedly as part of Biden's objective to get to a deal soon, terrorism sanctions on the regime's worst offenders could be lifted. Sanctions won't be removed because Iranian officials no longer support terrorism and the murder of innocent people around the globe, but because the Biden White House wants to declare an agreement.
*US SET TO LIFT TERRORISM SANCTIONS ON IRAN IN RUSSIAN-NEGOTIATED NUCLEAR DEAL https://t.co/q6VIVIBTkY
— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) March 2, 2022
5. First, Biden’s team is preparing to rescind the Supreme Leaders’ Office Executive Order (E.O. 13876) as soon as this coming Monday, and lift sanctions on nearly every one of the 112 people/entities sanctioned under it, even if they’re sanctioned under other legal authorities.
— Gabriel Noronha (@GLNoronha) March 2, 2022
7.Also under this action, the U.S. will lift sanctions on IRGC Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan, who led IRGC forces in Lebanon and Syria when Hezbollah bombed the Marine compound in Beirut and killed 241 U.S. servicemembers in 1983. pic.twitter.com/3Njr0rcfXP
— Gabriel Noronha (@GLNoronha) March 2, 2022
In February 2021, the State Department removed the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels as a designated terror group.
"Effective February 16, I am revoking the designations of Ansarallah, sometimes referred to as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under the Immigration and Nationality Act and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the time. "This decision is a recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen. We have listened to warnings from the United Nations, humanitarian groups, and bipartisan members of Congress, among others, that the designations could have a devastating impact on Yemenis’ access to basic commodities like food and fuel."
Since the move, the humanitarian situation has not improved and the Houthis have only increased their aggression by launching a number of attacks on civilian targets in Saudi Arabia – including against commercial airports.
Making matters worse, the current deal on the table reportedly further emboldens Russia.
The White House may soon celebrate an Iran Deal that gives Putin more power to hurt America. Reports suggest Iran would send enriched uranium stockpiles to Russia on condition Russia would return the stockpile if US reimposes terrorism sanctions. That should play well.
— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) March 2, 2022
2. “What’s happening in Vienna is a total disaster” one warned. The entire negotiations have been filtered and “essentially run” by Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov.
— Gabriel Noronha (@GLNoronha) March 2, 2022
The concessions and other misguided policies have led three members of the U.S. negotiating team to leave. pic.twitter.com/N8Si0GxMwE
During the Obama administration, when the first nuclear deal was negotiated, the White House admitted money released to the regime through the agreement would go to funding terrorism. They made the deal anyway.