US House Passes Bipartisan Bill To Deny Funds To Iran
The US House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would permanently freeze Iran’s $6 billion, released as part of a prisoner swap deal in September.
The US House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would permanently freeze Iran’s $6 billion, released as part of a prisoner swap deal in September.
The bill, named the No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act, is yet another Congressional move aiming to pressure the Biden administration to harden its stance on Iran. Ninety Democrats joined all but one of House Republicans to pass the bill 307-119.
Rep. Michael McCaul, who introduced the bill, slammed the administration for making funds available to a government that sponsors Hamas, questioning the administration’s motive.
“There’s something else going on here,” McCaul said, “a deal we don’t know about,” suggesting that the Biden administration may have released the $6 billion to help bring about another nuclear agreement with Tehran.
Republicans have been opposing the ‘hostage deal’ ever since it was announced in August, but their opposition has intensified since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking more than 200 hostage.
“The idea that you can just take Hamas and keep it separate from Iran has always been a farce,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. “Iran funds Hamas, and everybody knows it… We shouldn't even need the bill. The administration should be standing there saying we're not giving them the money anymore.”
But those close to President Biden argue that releasing the $6 billion had been necessary and key to securing the release of five Iranian-American hostages.
“Every member of Congress who was aware of these cases wanted our fellow citizens home,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Reneging on the deal would hurt U.S. global credibility.”
Biden critics say the deal has sent a signal that the US government would “reward hostage-taking”. They accuse Biden of emboldening the regime in Iran as well as its proxies across the Middle East.
Since mid-October, when Israel began its onslaught on Gaza, Iranian-backed groups have launched dozens of attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria. And from Yemen, the Houthis have been launching drone and missile attacks.
Not surprisingly, the bill was amended Thursday to state the Iranian-backed Houthis are benefitting from the Biden administration’s failure to condemn them, and perhaps more importantly, prohibit the use of US federal funds for Iran.
“There is only one language that is understood by our adversaries,” Rep. Keith Self said on the House floor in support of the bipartisan bill, “that is strength.”
The bill will have to pass the Senate, which is not likely given the Democratic majority in the upper chamber. But if it were to pass and turn into law, it would impose new sanctions to prevent any transfer of money to Iran.
Republican lawmakers in both chambers are aggravated by what they see as President Biden’s soft approach to Iran. Some have gone so far as to call his policy “appeasement.”
“This administration has subverted Israel and boosted Iran for nearly 3 years,” Senator Ted Cruz posted on his X account. “Rob Malley, who headed up his nuclear negotiations with Iran, had Iranian spies working under him at the State Department.”
On Thursday, 25 Senators signed an open letter to oppose the administration’s sanctions relief to Iran.
Addressing the three secretaries of State, Defense and the Treasury, the Senators (led by Senator Tim Scott) conveyed displeasure at the fact that despite attacks on American troops, “it is business as normal on the economic front."
The letter reads: “We therefore request that your departments provide us with a classified assessment on the administration’s plan to deter Iranian aggression and prevent the escalation of conflict in the Middle East. This assessment should be provided in a member or staff-level briefing no later than December 7, 2023.”
The post, initially created following the Islamic Republic's inception, was abolished in 1989 after the fallout between the first leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and the country's inaugural deputy supreme leader, Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who remained under house arrest until his death in 2009.
The absence of a designated successor since 1989 poses a potential threat to Iran's stability, both before and after Khamenei's eventual passing.
Ayatollah Rahim Tavakol, a member of the Assembly of Experts, disclosed on November 28 that a committee within the Assembly has been assigned the task of appointing a deputy supreme leader. While the matter was not discussed in the recent Assembly meeting, Tavakol emphasized the confidentiality of the committee's work, stating that only its members, including himself and the Assembly chairman, have knowledge of the selected candidates.
He said, "no one other than the committee members including myself and the chairman of the Assembly know the names of those who have been selected as possible deputy supreme leader. So, there was no discussion about this at the Assembly meeting."
Tavakol made it clear that "what the committee does and whom it choses is a secret." Although he tried his best to be secretive about the matter, when reformist Jamaran News website speculated that President Ebrahim Raisi and Tehran Friday Prayers Leader Ahmad Khatami are the other members of the committee, Tavakol said: "Yes. And I am on the committee too."
He clarified that Khamenei is the sole individual privy to the names of the potential nominees for the deputy supreme leader role. The committee, known as "The Committee to Determine the Next Leader," consists of only three members, raising questions about the roles of the remaining 88 members of the Assembly of Experts.
Meanwhile, responding to criticisms about the Assembly of experts presenting reports of its activities to Khamenei rather than keeping checks and balances on the leader's performance as stipulated by Iran's Constitution, he said the Assembly does not interfere with the leader and the institutions that operate under his aegis, nonetheless, there is a two-way relationship between the leader and the Assembly of Experts.
Last week, former President Hassan Rouhani openly spoke about the possibility of Khamenei's death and the importance of the issue of succession. He said, "every day brings us closer to the day of his death although we wish him a long life."
Despite frequent expressions of support by Khamenei and his loyalists for Hamas since the start of the Gaza war, the Iranian government has decided not to get directly involved and assist its proxy militarily. Khamenei has even softened his position somewhat regarding Israel, showing his overall weak position. There have also been concerns about his health after his meeting with athletes last week, during which he looked and sounded frail.
The interview by Tavakol, could be an attempt to prepare the mood for an announcement about the next leader.
One possible solution is to designate a collective body. However, since 1988, Assembly of Experts has opposed a collective leadership by a group of clerics, as conflict of interests could drag the country into chaos. Consequently, individual leadership by figures like Khamenei's son Mojtaba, President Ebrahim Raisi, and former President Hassan Rouhani are more likely choices, despite their diminished popularity. The ultimate decision, however, remains uncertain, as the people's desires, if considered, present an entirely different narrative.
There have been numerous calls by former regime supporters in recent years to drastically alter the constitution and either eliminate the position of the Supreme Leader or reduce its power. Popular protests since 2017 have also shown a growing public rejection of Khamenei’s rule and clerical domination.