Who in 2023 is sponsoring the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism?
In September, the Biden administration formally approved unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian assets in exchange for the release of five Americans held hostage in Teheran in a deal that bypassed congressional oversight.
Those funds had been frozen in South Korean banks.
But the secret sanctions relief allowing the flow of funds to the Iranian regime led by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei doesn't stop there.
On Tuesday, Iran's state-run Tasnim News outlet reported that the Biden team is set to “agree with Iran’s getting access to $10 billion” currently frozen in banks in Iraq.
Tasnim itself is sanctioned by the U.S. government for its close ties to the Iranian Islamist dictatorship which is the world's top state sponsor of terrorism.
Then there is China.
U.S. officials admitted "they’re allowing Iranian oil exports to China to skyrocket with estimates ranging from 1.4 to 2.2 million barrels per day flowing in August — their highest levels since President Donald Trump ended America’s participation in the old Iran nuclear deal," Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and sanctions expert who previously served on the White House National Security Council, wrote for the New York Post.
Another $6 billion will reportedly be transferred to accounts in Qatar, providing the Iranian regime additional budget support.
Multiple reports also suggest Washington is allowing Teheran to trade $7 billion in International Monetary Fund special drawing rights for fiat currency.
Iran is also eyeing the transfer of another $3 billion from Japan.
Conservative estimates put the total secret sanctions relief at $25 billion.
"All told, this is at least a $50 billion protection racket — not just a $6 billion hostage payment," Goldberg noted. "How can this occur without Congress holding one hearing or one vote? Because the deal was negotiated in secret and the White House insists there is no deal."
The latest sanctions relief has the Biden administration allowing Iraq to transfer frozen electricity payments into Iranian-owned bank accounts in Europe and Oman, the Washington Free Beacon reported on Sunday.
The Biden administration insists that Iran can only use the $10 billion for non-sanctioned purposes such as humanitarian relief.
Critics argue that since money is fungible, the access allows Iran to free up cash in other places for illicit activities.
"The waiver renewal is driving concerns that the Biden administration is maintaining financial avenues for Teheran as the country’s terrorist proxies foment chaos across the Middle East," the Free Beacon's Adam Kredo noted.
"The world is living in a post-Oct. 7 world, but the White House is still running an Oct. 6 policy toward Iran," Goldberg told the Washington Free Beacon. "Why should Iran have any access to more than $10 billion after sponsoring one of the worst terrorist attacks against American citizens and the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust? It would make more sense to freeze all of these accounts and keep every penny out of Teheran's hands."
According to the U.S. State Department, Hamas receives about $100 million a year from the Iranian government. The Lebanon-based Hizbullah terror organization, which has launched attacks on Israel's northern border since Oct. 7, receives about $700 million a year from Iran.
A Hamas spokesman told the BBC on Oct. 7 that the terrorist group received “direct backing” from Iran to organize and fund the massacre of Israeli civilians. Iranian government officials celebrated the massacre by hosting a “death to Israel” street party that night in Teheran. Iran has also officially designated Oct. 7 a national holiday: “Day of Epic by Palestinian Youth.”
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