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U.S. Renews Iran Sanctions Waiver that Unlocks $10 Billion for Regime
(Washington Free Beacon) Adam Kredo - The Biden administration on Wednesday reapproved a sanctions waiver that unlocks upwards of $10 billion in frozen funds for the Iranian government. The sanctions waiver allows Iraq to transfer electricity payments to Iran via third-party countries. While the State Department maintains the funds can only be accessed by Iran to pay for humanitarian supplies, like food and medicine, critics of the sanctions waiver argue that money is fungible, and that the waiver frees up cash for Iran to spend on its global terrorism operations. Richard Goldberg, a former White House National Security Council member who worked on the Iran portfolio, said the latest version of the sanctions waiver is substantially different than the one issued during the previous administration. "This is not the same waiver for Iraqi electricity imports that has been issued since 2018. This is an Iran sanctions relief waiver that allows Tehran to access money and use it for budget support, including debt payments and import subsidies," said Goldberg, a senior adviser for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.