Senator John Cornyn | Official U.S. House headshot
Senator John Cornyn | Official U.S. House headshot
U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and a group of 19 Republican colleagues have called on President Biden and the U.S. State Department to freeze the transfer of $6 billion in Iranian funds. In a letter, the senators urged the administration to rescind the waivers that allowed these funds to be converted and moved to more accessible bank accounts, and to work with Qatar to freeze the accounts containing these funds.
The senators expressed concern about Iran's role as the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism and its collaboration with Hamas in planning attacks on Israel. They highlighted the recent attacks by Hamas and emphasized the risk that these funds could be used to further efforts by Iran or Hamas against Israel.
Senator Cornyn and his colleagues stressed the need to stand with Israel and restrict access to the Iranian funds. They called for the most stringent sanctions against Iran and emphasized that anything less than this would only aid Iran and Hamas in funding their heinous acts.
The letter also included the signatures of 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), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Katie Britt (R-AL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Mike Braun (R-IN), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Ted Budd (R-NC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Roger Marshall (R-KS).
This is not the first time Senator Cornyn has raised concerns about the transfer of funds to Iran. In August, he joined a letter demanding answers from the Biden administration regarding the $6 billion payment to Iran in exchange for the release of American prisoners.
The full text of the senators' letter can be found [here](link to the letter).
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how the Biden administration will respond to the call for freezing the transfer of Iranian funds.
To learn more, click on this link: https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/cornyn-calls-on-biden-to-freeze-6-billion-iran-transfer/
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