U.S. Faces Pressure Over Iran Policy

The Biden administration is facing growing pressure over its policy of pumping billions into the cash-starved economy of Iran’s regime after its proxies were accused of killing three US soldiers in Jordan in late January.

It's been reported that Biden might again extend this month's sanctions waiver to the Islamic Republic of Iran that would result in as much as $10 billion funneled into Iran’s coffers.

Last year Iran’s US-sanctioned President Ebrahim Raisi boasted that the money will be used "wherever we need it." 

The Trump administration sanctioned Raisi for his role in the massacre of thousands of Iranian protesters and dissidents.

The State Department spokesperson said about Raisi’s defiance that "Iran’s political leadership can say what they want, but we are confident in the restrictions in place to ensure these funds are not used for any sanctionable purpose, or we would not have made the deal that led to the release of the US citizens unjustly held by Iran in September."

The spokesperson continued, "While Iran has said publicly that it can use these funds any time it wants, this is false. In coordination with the Department of the Treasury, we have established rigorous oversight mechanisms to ensure these restricted funds can only be used for humanitarian trade, meaning food, medicine, medical devices, and agricultural products from third-party vendors, as well as certain other non-sanctionable purposes with separate authorization by the US government. US sanctions are not intended to punish ordinary people in Iran."

The lawmakers also highlighted, "An Iran-backed proxy militia group— conducted a lethal drone attack on a US base in Jordan. The attack resulted in the deaths of three American service members and injured over forty others."

Republicans have strongly objected over the years to Biden repeatedly waiving sanctions imposed on the theocratic Iranian regime.