SE North Carolina News

Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) has joined a coalition of senators led by Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) in demanding answers from top government officials regarding the recent decision to extend an Iran sanctions waiver. The coalition has written a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, expressing concerns about the lack of a cohesive Iran strategy from the administration.

The Biden Administration issued a waiver on November 13, granting Iran access to approximately $10 billion. This decision has raised questions among the senators, who believe that the administration's appeasement strategy towards Iran is putting American lives and interests at risk.

The coalition letter was also signed by several other Republican senators, including Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, and Mike Crapo of Idaho. The letter expresses concern over the administration's previous decision to release $6 billion worth of frozen Iranian assets in exchange for the return of American detainees. The senators believe that this decision sets a dangerous precedent of providing ransom payments to a state sponsor of terrorism.

Furthermore, the coalition is alarmed by the administration's recent agreement with Qatar to temporarily prevent the unfrozen assets from being expended. The senators argue that without proper safeguards, Iran will soon access these funds and use them to further expand its malign proxy activities.

The senators highlight the continued attacks by Iranian-backed Hamas and Hezbollah against Israel, as well as increased attacks against U.S. personnel in the region. They argue that while U.S. forces have responded only three times to these attacks, the administration has taken steps to unlock tens of billions of dollars for Iran, which can be used to fund additional terrorist activities that directly threaten American lives.

The coalition also raises concerns about the timing of the decision to extend the sanctions waiver. The extension was signed the day after U.S. Central Command carried out a strike against facilities used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian proxy groups in Eastern Syria. The senators argue that this sends a signal to Iran that despite attacks on U.S. service members and allies, it is business as usual on the economic front.

In light of these concerns, the senators are requesting a classified assessment from the relevant departments on the administration's plan to deter Iranian aggression and prevent the escalation of conflict in the Middle East. They want an estimation of how Iran has leveraged and could leverage the billions in assets it now has access to due to the administration's use of sanctions waivers.

The senators have requested the assessment to be provided in a member or staff-level briefing no later than December 7, 2023. They believe that a strong signal of deterrence, utilizing military, economic, and diplomatic tools, is needed to protect U.S. personnel and prevent the war in Gaza from expanding into a protracted regional conflict.

To learn more, click on this link: https://www.budd.senate.gov/2023/11/30/budd-scott-colleagues-demand-answers-on-latest-iran-sanctions-waiver/