September 7, 2023 | The Dispatch
It’s Up to Congress to Stop the Iranian Nuclear Threat
The Biden administration is too willing to trade sanctions relief for illusory concessions.
September 7, 2023 | The Dispatch
It’s Up to Congress to Stop the Iranian Nuclear Threat
The Biden administration is too willing to trade sanctions relief for illusory concessions.
Excerpt
Iran’s nuclear program is escalating. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. nuclear watchdog, released new quarterly reports on Monday showing the Islamic Republic has added to key enriched uranium stockpiles, enhancing its ability to make nuclear weapons-grade material. Even so, the Biden administration appears to be moving ahead with a deal that provides Tehran at least $16 billion in sanctions relief, along with unprecedented oil exports.
Last spring, the Biden administration reportedly reached a secret, unwritten understanding with Iran that, among other steps, called for the regime to slow its accumulation of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity in return for $10 billion in frozen Iranian assets held in Iraq. After that initial step, and once the U.S. arranged the release of $6 billion in Iranian assets held in South Korea, the two sides would execute a separate U.S. hostages-for-Iranian-prisoners swap. Both processes are reportedly underway.
Andrea Stricker is a research fellow and deputy director of the nonproliferation and biodefense program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Follow her on X @StrickerNonpro. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.