According to a news release on Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas will propose a bill to refreeze the $6 billion payment to Iran previously authorized by the Biden administration.
In a deal finalized in September, the Biden administration agreed to give Iran $6 billion in previously blocked assets in return for five American inmates.
Following Hamas’s deadly terrorist attacks against Israel that started on Saturday, McConnell and Cotton will introduce legislation to cancel the transfer.
“Iran is the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism. In addition to funding Hamas’s devastating terrorist attacks against Israel, the regime’s proxies have attacked dozens of American targets in the region in recent years. The Biden administration’s decision to let Iran access the $6 billion immediately freed up other money for the regime to fund its attacks in Israel. The Biden administration should immediately re-freeze the funds,” said Senator Cotton.
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Since Saturday, Hamas has killed nearly 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped hundreds more, some of whom have endured rape or torture. Iran, a nation well known for its anti-Semitic views, has long been a Hamas ally.
The $6 billion transfer will free up unfettered monies Iran already has in its vaults, allowing it to potentially pay for future terror operations, even if the Biden administration claims the money is exclusively meant for “humanitarian purposes.”
“The path of resources, training, and lethal weapons from Tehran to terrorists throughout the Middle East is crystal clear. On Saturday, it enabled cold-blooded killers like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to perpetrate the deadliest day of violence against Jews in decades,” said Leader McConnell. “The civilized world must re-impose serious consequences on the regime that aids and abets murderous evil against innocent Israelis. The United States must lead that effort by our example, and freezing Iranian assets is an important first step.”
McConnell and Cotton will seek unanimous support, with nearly two dozen Republican senators signing a letter on Monday requesting that the Biden administration immediately rescind the $6 billion transfer.
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Sens. Tammy Baldwin, Bob Casey, Joe Manchin, Jon Tester, and Jacky Rosen—all Democrats—have all endorsed a refreeze.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that “not a dollar of that money has been spent,” during a press briefing Wednesday.
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