Ricketts Joins 20 Senate Republicans Demanding Biden Freeze Transfer of $6 Billion to Iran
October 10, 2023
OMAHA, NE – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, joined a group of 20 Senate Republicans to demand President Biden and the State Department immediately rescind the waivers that allowed $6 billion of Iranian funds to be converted and moved to more accessible bank accounts, as well as work with Qatar to immediately freeze the accounts containing these funds.
The letter was led by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and follows reports Iran was directly involved in the planning and execution of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel over the weekend.
“To stand by and allow Iran access to these funds as Hamas infiltrates Israel and murders, rapes, and mutilates countless Israelis is unconscionable,” the senators wrote. “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.”
In addition to Blackburn and Ricketts, the letter was also signed by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Steve Daines (R-MT), Rick Scott (R-FL), Kevin Cramer(R-ND), John Thune (R-SD), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), John Cornyn (R-TX), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Katie Britt (R-AL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Braun (R-IN), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Eric Schmitt(R-MO), Ted Budd (R-NC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Roger Marshall (R-KS).
PDF can be found here
Full text of the letter can be found below:
| Dear Mr. President: We write today to affirm our unwavering support for Israel, our greatest ally in the Middle East, and call on the U.S. Department of State to freeze the accounts in Qatar containing $6 billion in Iranian funds that were released from South Korean accounts in September. Since Hamas began its attack on Israel on Saturday, more than 4,000 rockets have been fired from Gaza, countless Israelis have been injured, and more than 130 individuals have been kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. Hundreds of civilians have been brutally murdered in Israel, and recent reports confirm that several Americans were killed in the attacks. Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, and Wall Street Journal reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps worked with Hamas to plan the ongoing attacks on Israel. These horrific attacks come on the heels of the State Department issuing sanctions waivers for Iranian funds held in South Korean accounts to be converted from won to euros and then transferred to bank accounts in Qatar. 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. We must stand with Israel and restrict access to these Iranian funds. Iran should be placed under the most stringent sanctions admissible. Anything short of this is unacceptable and only aids in the ability of Iran and Hamas to fund these heinous acts. Sincerely, Marsha Blackburn Thom Tillis Steve Daines Rick Scott Kevin Cramer John Thune James Lankford Mike Lee John Cornyn Bill Cassidy Lindsey Graham Katie Britt Tom Cotton Pete Ricketts Mike Braun Markwayne Mullin Eric Schmitt Ted Budd Marco Rubio Roger Marshall |