The Biden administration has extended a waiver of sanctions that would give Iran access to about $10 billion from Iraq in exchange for electricity purchases.
The 120-day waiver, signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, is similar to one issued in July, but comes amid increased attacks on US troops by Iranian proxies and just over a month after the Iran-backed terror group Hamas killed 1,200 people in Israel on Oct. 7.
Under the terms of the waiver, Iran will receive nearly $10 billion held in an escrow account in Iraq that may be used only for humanitarian trafficking, US officials told the Associated Press.
The extension of the waiver will also allow the Iranian regime to transfer electricity payments to an account in Oman, which can then be converted into another currency for the Islamic Republic to buy products without sanctions, according to the outlet.
US officials stated that Blinken signed the waiver primarily because the Biden administration did not want Iraq to be cut off from critical energy sources.
President Joe Biden delivers a speech on his administration’s actions to address the climate crisis in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 14, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller defended the extension of the waiver, arguing that the money “can only benefit the people of Iran.”
“They get zero additional dollars as a result of this waiver. Again, none of these funds were sent to Iran. They are stored in third-party accounts outside Iran, and may be used only for humanitarian and other impermissible purposes for the benefit of the Iranian people,” Miller said during a press briefing.
State Department officials also argued that Iran would continue its “destabilizing activities” regardless of whether the exemption was issued.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Baghdad, Iraq, this month. OFFICE OF THE IRAQ PRIME MINISTER/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“These are waivers that have been issued since 2018. We have seen Iran continue its destabilizing activities throughout that time, as they did before the Trump administration issued this first waiver in 2018, which is why we have held them accountable. through attacks on their proxy militias in the region and through the sanctions I just referred to, as well as a number of other measures,” Miller said.
“They chose to finance unstable activities first,” he added. “They are always there; as far as we know, they always will. So when it — looking at this money, we see the benefits of allowing these funds to move back into a restricted account where they can only benefit the people of Iran.”
US troops in Iraq and Syria have been attacked by Iranian proxies at least 55 times since October 17, injuring about 59 personnel, according to the Pentagon.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed the waiver because the Biden administration did not want Iraq to be excluded from critical energy sources.AFP via Getty Images
In September, President Biden froze $6 billion in funds for Iran in exchange for the release of five American prisoners.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi immediately declared that Tehran would use the money “wherever we need it,” leading to fears that the regime would spend the funds on nefarious purposes.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
