U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines joined a group of his Republican colleagues to call on President Biden and his administration to immediately freeze the Iranian accounts containing the $6 billion dollars that was a part of a ransom deal President Biden made with Iran.
“To stand by and allow Iran access to these funds as Hamas infiltrates Israel and murders, rapes, and mutilates countless Israelis is unconscionable. Your administration claims these funds are only available for humanitarian use, but money is fungible, and there is a significant risk they could be used to further efforts by Iran or Hamas against Israel. Moreover, allowing $6 billion to flow into Iran’s economy, even if the purpose is for humanitarian aid, allows the Iranian regime to reallocate even more funds to supporting terrorism. Oversight over the use of this $6 billion is not enough, and the oversight mechanism is crippled by your reported decision to pull the longstanding Treasury attaché from Qatar. The State Department should immediately rescind the waivers that allowed Iranian funds to be converted and moved to more accessible bank accounts, as well as work with U.S. ally Qatar to immediately freeze the accounts containing these funds,” the Senators wrote.
U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Kevin Cramer (R- N.D.), John Thune (R-S.D.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) joined as co-signers.
Click HERE to read the whole letter.