NASHVILLE, TENN. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn today led several of her Senate Republican colleagues in a letter to President Biden and Secretary Blinken criticizing them for their continued appeasement of Iran and calling on them to rescind the electricity import sanctions waiver that unlocks a fresh $10 billion in frozen assets for Iran to access.

Following the October 7^th terrorist attacks on Israel, Senator Blackburn immediately took action and led 19 Senate Republicans in the initial call on President Biden to freeze the $6 billion ransom payment to Iran.

There Is More Than Enough Evidence Not To Give Iran Another Dollar 

“We need not remind you that Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, funneling an estimated $700 million to Hezbollah and $100 million to Hamas annually. On October 7th, the world watched with horror as Hamas, with Iran’s backing, brutally tortured and slaughtered innocent Israeli babies and children, and took Jewish families hostage in Gaza. That alone should be cause enough for you to forego giving Tehran another dollar. But if you need more convincing, look no further than last month, when the Iranian Foreign Minister visited the U.S. – with a visa provided by your State Department, no less – and threatened that the country would “not be spared from this fire” if Israel’s war against Hamas continues. It’s no coincidence that to date, U.S. forces have been attacked at least 56 times in less than a month by Iran-backed proxies.”

Giving Iran Another $10 Billion – Even If For Humanitarian Aid – Allows Them To Reallocate Other Funds To Supporting Terrorism

“Once again, the State Department claims that these newly released funds can only be used for humanitarian purposes. As we unfortunately learned after the October 7th attacks on Israel, money is a fungible asset. Giving Iran access to another $10 billion will only allow them to reallocate more funding from other sources to support terrorism. Additionally, you have placed no conditions on where this money must be kept, giving Tehran a direct line of access to cash that will allow them to continue fueling their proxy war against our allies.”

Biden’s Continued Appeasement Of Iran Raises Serious Questions About His National Security Priorities

“Your continued pursuit of desperate diplomacy with our adversaries is reckless, and it raises serious questions about this administration’s blatant disregard for our national security. Do you believe it is in the United States’ best interest to appease Iran while ignoring their calls for the destruction of the U.S. and Israel? If the answer is no, then you cannot simultaneously deal direct support to them in any form. You must immediately rescind this waiver and prevent Iran’s unrestricted access to these funds.  

• U.S. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) joined as co-signers.

A copy of the letter can be found here.