Oklahoma U.S. Sens. James Lankford and Markwayne Mullin say severe sanctions should be put immediately on Iran for its support and role in the deadly attacks by Hamas on Israel and at the same time, rescind the recent decision to free $6 billion in frozen funds to Iran.
They and 16 other Senate Republicans also want the Biden administration and the State Department to rescind the waivers that allowed Iranian funds to be converted and moved to more accessible bank acounts. In a letter to the White House, the Senators urged the government to work with Qatar to immediately freeze the accounts containing the $6 billion.
“We write today to affirm our unwavering support for Israel, our greatest ally in the Middle East, and call on the US Department of State to freeze the accounts in Qatar containing $6 billion in Iranian funds that were released from South Korean accounts in September…To stand by and allow Iran access to these funds as Hamas infiltrates Israel and murders, rapes, and mutilates countless Israelis is unconscionable,” declared the Senators.
“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,” the Senators wrote in their letter.
The money was intended to be freed following a recent prisoner swap with Iran.
Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) Thom Tillis (R-NC), Steve Daines (R-MT), Rick Scott (R-FL), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Thune (R-SD), Mike Lee (R-UT), John Cornyn (R-TX), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Katie Britt (R-AL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Mike Braun (R-IN), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Ted Budd (R-NC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Roger Marshall (R-KS) joined as co-signers.
Sen. Lankford immediately issued a statement of our ongoing and unwavering support for Israel and the Israelis’ right to defend themselves. As co-founder and co-chair of the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, Lankford and his fellow co-chairs also issued a powerful joint statement of support for Israel.
You can read the full letter HERE
