The Biden administration appears to be in a contradiction. While calling out Iran for supporting terror groups like Hamas and the Houthis, the administration is also helping Iran secure billions in funding. The White House is poised to grant a new sanctions waiver to Iran that would unfreeze some $10 billion in assets. The waiver was initially granted last fall, ostensibly to allow Iraq to transfer electricity payments to Iran. The White House insists the funds can only be used for humanitarian purposes, but critics are highly dubious of that claim, especially as Iran has tried to skirt other U.S. sanctions. "You can paint it in terms of humanitarian, or electricity, or anything else you want to, but the bottom line is the money is controlled by Iran, it goes directly into their coffers," says Jeff Addicott, Director of the Warrior Defense Project at St. Mary's Law School in San Antonio.
A group of Republican lawmakers agree with Addicott, sending a letter to the administration this week demanding info on how much money Iran has accessed since the waiver was granted. "By waiving...the sanctions, the Administration is maintaining a financial lifeline for the Iranian regime, even as it continues to support terrorist organizations around the world," the letter states.
Addicott says rather than granting sanction waivers, we should be doing just the opposite. "The proper way to deal with your enemies is to put pressure on them to change their behavior, not to reward them for bad behavior," he tells KTRH. "And giving them $10 billion rewards them for bad behavior."
"They chant death to America, and death to Israel," Addicott continues. "That's your first clue that we need to deal with them with a big stick, and not with handouts."
With the U.S. and Iran in a proxy war of sorts over Israel and Iran moving dangerously close to a nuclear weapon, now is not the time to allow any financial lifeline to Tehran, according to Addicott. "This is insane," he says. "Even a second-grader can figure out that you do not give money to your enemies when you're in a state of conflict."
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