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Kerry admits Iran sanction relief will go to terrorists

January 21, 2016

Secretary of State John Kerry admitted today that some of the billions of dollars in sanctions relief granted to Iran in President Obama’s nuclear deal will go to terrorist groups. This stunning admission comes as the U.S. House prepares to vote on the Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act, which would allow the sanctions to be lifted only if the President certifies that the institutions getting relief have not knowingly helped fund Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, foreign terrorist organizations, or anyone sanctioned in connection with Iran’s weapons of mass destruction.

  • Secretary Kerry has now admitted that under President Obama’s deal with Iran, sanction relief will go to terrorists.
  • The Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act is a common sense measure to ensure that terrorist organizations do not receive a financial windfall from President Obama’s Iran deal.
  • Iran has already proven its disregard for its deal with President Obama, as well as the United Nations.

o   Just last month, a United Nations Security Council expert panel determined that Iran violated Security Council resolution 1929 by test-launching a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

o   Earlier this month, Iran took 10 U.S. sailors captive in the Persian Gulf, recording video of them held at gunpoint on their knees, and being made to apologize for the camera.

  • The American people do not trust Obama in his dealings with Iran.

o   Polling this summer showed that only 35% approve of Obama’s handling of Iran, and only 28% support the Iran nuclear deal.

  • House Democrats have previously voted against delaying lifting sanctions on Iran.

NRCC COMMENT: “Secretary Kerry’s admission that sanction relief will result in a financial windfall for terrorist organizations underscores just how bad this deal is for our national security. House Democrats have a simple decision to make: join with Republicans to block sanctions relief that will aid terrorists, or continue to support President Obama and his failed foreign policy.” – Bob Salera, NRCC Spokesman

 

Background:

Kerry: Some Iran sanctions relief likely to go to terrorists. “It’s likely that some of the billions of dollars in sanctions relief granted to Iran under a landmark nuclear deal will go to groups deemed to be terrorists, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday…‘I think that some of it will end up in the hands of the IRGC or other entities, some of which are labeled terrorists,’ he told CNBC television in an interview.” (Matthew Lee, “Kerry: Some Iran sanctions relief likely to go to terrorists,” Associated Press, 1/21/16)

Experts: Iran Missile Launch Violated UN Resolution. “Iran violated a UN resolution in October when it test-launched a medium-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, a UN panel of experts has concluded in a report that could lead to sanctions. Britain, France, Germany and the United States had asked a UN Security Council sanctions committee to investigate the launch of the Emad missile on Oct. 10, three months after the historic nuclear deal was reached.” (Agence France-Presse, “Experts: Iran Missile Launch Violated UN Resolution,” Defense News, 12/15/15)

White House threatens veto over GOP Iran Bill. “President Obama has threatened to veto a House Republican bill aimed at limiting his ability to lift sanctions on Iran under the nuclear deal struck last year…The bill comes as billions of dollars worth of sanctions are set to be lifted in the coming weeks. Under the deal, the U.S. and other world powers involved in negotiating it will remove sanctions against Iran after Tehran fulfills certain steps in rolling back its nuclear program. The House GOP bill would prevent the president from removing certain Iranian individuals and entities from receiving sanctions unless the administration can certify that they are not terror financiers, human rights abusers or involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.” (Susan Crabtree, “White House threatens veto over GOP Iran Bill,” Washington Examiner, 1/12/16)

Quinnipiac University Poll, July 23-28, 2015

House of Representatives, Roll Call 494, September 11, 2015, H.R. 3460, To suspend until January 21, 2017, the authority of the President to waive, suspend, reduce, provide relief from, or otherwise limit the application of sanctions pursuant to an agreement related to the nuclear program of Iran.