Biden Gave Iran $10 Billion in Sanctions Relief Days After Trump Won Election

The outgoing Biden-Harris administration granted $10 billion in sanctions relief to Iran days after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, despite Iran's continued attacks on Israel and support for terrorist organizations. .

Washington Free Beacon reported:

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on November 8 that it was “in the national security interest of the United States” to waive mandatory economic sanctions that bar Iraq from sending more than $10 billion in electricity imports to Iran. It was decided.

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The first Trump administration greenlighted a similar waiver, sparking tensions with some congressional Republicans, but narrowly tailored the waiver to limit access to Iranian cash. Biden State Department Adjusted exemption Last year, the Iranian government allowed the exchange of funds from Iraqi dinars into euros and the holding of those euros in bank accounts based in Oman. Access to a widely traded currency like the euro would allow Iran to more easily use cash in international markets. Under the first Trump administration, Iran had to keep its cash in escrow accounts in Baghdad, making it more difficult to access.

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The Biden State Department insists that Iran is only allowed to use the funds for humanitarian needs, including medicine and other supplies. Republican critics argue that money is fungible. This means that if the Iranian government can use the sanctioned cash to benefit other countries, it will be easier to direct its dwindling cash reserves to regional terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Yemen's Houthi rebels. is. the purpose.

The sanctions waiver also came days after the Biden administration waived $6 billion in sanctions against Iran, after the United Nations determined that Iran was able to provide “unprecedented” aid to Yemen's Houthis. .