A Biden administration’s proposal in the latest nuclear talks with Iran would “wave sanctions on at least 80,000 members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a paramilitary force that has killed hundreds of Americas and waged terror attacks across the Middle East” reports Washington Free Beacon.
Specifically, the proposal removes IRGC from the U.S. terror list, but then adds a smaller contingent, the IRGC’s Quds Force, which primarily fights overseas, to the terror list to “offset” the move.
As a result, the “80,000 or so fighters on the IRGC would be taken off the terrorism list and ca now enter the United States” said one senior Republican leader who was briefed on the proposal.
The Washington Free Beacon estimates between 80,000 and 180,000 fighters would have sanctions dropped, and the Quds Force sanctions would only cover a mere 20,000 Iranian militants.
Republicans and some Democrats are furious about the proposal. Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) on Tuesday wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, saying he was “particularly worried” about removing the IRGC from the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist Organization list. “We should not reward Iran with sanctions relief,” he said, until the nation demonstrates willingness to curb its “nuclear ambitions” and “terrorism financing.”
Rep. Jim Banks (R., Ind.), the RSC’s leader and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told the Free Beacon that Democrats who supported the Biden administration’s deal with Iran are souring on the agreement due to the IRGC sanctions issue.
“Apparently, the Biden administration believes that people who murder Americans, chant ‘death to America,’ and threaten to assassinate former Trump officials on American soil somehow aren’t terrorists,” Banks said. “It’s insane, and vulnerable Democrats are starting to say it out loud. Even if Biden and the Ayatollah are successful, House Republicans will ensure that any sanctions relief is temporary.”
Rep. Greg Steube (R., Fla.) who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Free Beacon that Trump-era sanctions handicapped Iran’s ability to conduct terror strikes and fund jihadist proxy groups.
“President Trump’s maximum pressure strategy was working. The actions taken by the Trump administration starved the IRGC of resources, eventually leading many of their proxy militias to withdraw from Syria and Iraq and bankrupting the Iranian economy,” Steube said.
My name is Michael White. I’m from San Diego, CA, have both an AA and BA, am an Honorably Discharged Retired Navy Veteran who served over 13 years for our nation. I, too, was a political hostage in Iran from July 2018 til Jun 2020 when the Trump admin pressured Iran to release me. I have written everyone under the sun, my elected officials, the Biden admin and even Op-ed’s opposing the JCPOA in its current form and especially opposing any removal of the terrorist designation against the IRGC. I was in prison in Mashhad, Iran when the IRGC was carrying out terrorist attacks against Iranian citizens protesting the fuel hikes. This idea should be rejected. And no frozen assets or money should be released to Iran until the victims of Iranian terrorism and hostage taking enterprise like me have been fully compensated with those funds.
Thank you for your service.
This could be a very dangerous situation that could disable the dollar has the leading currency any effects would be difficult to correct and are future Commerce would be irreversible
US involvement in Iranian affairs goes back a long way. The CIA helped to overthrow the democratically-elected prime minister in 1953 (Mossadeq), and install the Shah, who we helped become a dictator (surprise, surprise!). This was done because British Petroleum didn’t want to give up the deal where they got to keep 85% of the oil they were taking out of Iranian soil, and embargoed Iranian oil (Abadan Crisis). After the coup, BP got 40%, US companies got 40%, and the rest of the oil funds went to other foreign actors… The United States provided the new regime with financial support (equivalent to billions of dollars today), and then helped them establish their nuclear program in 1957. Later, the US even provided Iran with enriched uranium.
After 26 years of American influence on their politics, there was a revolution in 1979 (surprise!) by islamic extremists (surprise!) and the first ayatollah declared America “the great satan”. Regan declared Iran to be a state sponsor of terrorism, and relations soured from there.
But have no doubt, we did this to ourselves. We fomented a coup of a democratically-elected government to establish a dictatorship, meddled in foreign politics to secure oil revenues, and willingly shared nuclear technology. From the Iran-Iraq war and the Iran Contra Affair, to the “Axis of Evil” speech and American covert operations in Iran, we have made plenty of mistakes in this international relationship. JCPOA wasn’t perfect, but pulling out of it was a strategic error as Iran has now had years to refine additional uranium and work on missile technology. A president who billed himself as a master of negotiation couldn’t save the deal or work out something better… it’s really too bad. But this situation is so messy now that I don’t know where to even start repairing relations between America and Iran.