White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan issued a statement on Tuesday announcing new sanctions against Iran following last weekend’s Iranian attack on Israel.
The new sanctions come amid Republican criticism that the Biden administration is not tough enough on Iran after the White House extended a waiver giving Iran access to $10 billion. Ta. of Previously, funds were placed in escrow in November 2023.
Sullivan announced in a press release that President Biden is “coordinating with allies and partners, including the G7, and bipartisan leaders in Congress for a comprehensive response.”
“In the coming days, the United States will impose new sanctions targeting Iran, including new sanctions against Iran’s missile and drone programs and organizations supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Ministry of Defense,” the statement said. ” he said.
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White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during a press conference at the White House in Washington, Monday, March 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
“Furthermore, through the Department of Defense and U.S. Central Command, we will further strengthen and expand the successful integration of air and missile defense and early warning systems across the Middle East to further undermine the effectiveness of Iranian missile and unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities.” We are continuing to work to do so.”
Sullivan said the actions the United States is taking “will continue steady pressure to contain and reduce Iran’s military capabilities and effectiveness and confront the full range of problematic behavior.”
“Over the past three years, in addition to missile and drone-related sanctions, the United States has sanctioned more than 600 individuals and entities associated with terrorism, terrorist financing, other illicit trade, horrific human rights violations, and support for terrorist proxies.” Groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and Kataib Hezbollah,” the statement added.
“The pressure will continue. We will continue to work with our allies and partners around the world, and with Congress, without hesitation, to take action to hold the Iranian government accountable for its malign and destabilizing actions.” Ta.
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Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for allegedly not being tough enough on Iran, especially after the controversial waiver extension. (Photo credit: Probst/ullstein bild via Getty Images; Photo credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
The Biden administration has been heavily criticized by Republicans for its handling of Iran over the past three years. In addition to the November 2023 waiver extension, the White House lifted $6 billion in sanctions relief for Iran as part of the prisoner exchange deal in September 2023 – just weeks before the October 7 attacks.
“Iran was failing under President Trump,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said on Saturday. “President Biden gave them billions of dollars And I simply said, “Stop it.”
“‘Not’ is not foreign policy. Joe Biden’s policy funded Iran’s attack on Israel,” Blackburn continued.
In October, White House National Security and Public Affairs Advisor John Kirby insisted on Fox News that the Iranian regime had no access to any unfrozen funds.
“It’s not that we’re not implementing sanctions. We’re implementing sanctions. In fact, we’ve added sanctions. We imposed sanctions on 400 entities in Iran at the beginning of this administration. Not to mention the sanctions against Iran that came before us,” Kirby explained.
Iranian pro-government supporters raise a giant Palestinian flag in Tehran’s Palestine Square to celebrate the early morning attack on Israel by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on April 14, 2024. (Photo credit: Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP)
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“As for fungibility, let me reiterate that those funds will never be utilized by the Iranian regime,” he continued. “They themselves were never going to see it. It was always going to the vendors we approved to buy humanitarian aid, medical supplies, food…directly to the Iranian people. The administration was never going to see that or feel that. And they’re not asking for it.”
