Report: A new US exemption for Iraq enables Iran to obtain $10 billion
Report: A new US exemption for Iraq enables Iran to obtain $10 billion
2024-03-14 05:26
Shafaq News/ The American “Washington Free Beacon” website revealed that the administration of US President Joe Biden has allowed new exemptions for Iraq to pay the amounts to purchase gas from Iran, indicating that this measure will enable Tehran to obtain more than 10 billion dollars of funds that were frozen due to… US sanctions.
A website report translated by Shafaq News Agency indicated that “the sanctions exemption mechanism, which raises sharp opposition from the Republican Party in Congress, allows Iraq to transfer financial payments to Iran in exchange for electricity via third countries.”
He pointed out that “the last exemption from sanctions was last made by the Biden administration in November, and its term was scheduled to expire this month, which put the White House in an awkward position after a growing group of members of Congress from the Republican Party expressed their concern.” regarding bypassing sanctions.
The report continued, “The recent exemptions allow Iraq to convert the dinar into the euro, and then transfer payments to accounts of Iranian banks in the Sultanate of Oman.”
He added, “Republican foreign policy leaders in Congress expressed concerns regarding the exemptions earlier this week, saying that the sanctions should not be lifted on the Iranian regime in light of its support for Hamas and other terrorist organizations that are waging war on Israel and American sites in the region.” “.
The report quoted the US State Department as confirming that “it is not possible for Iran to access these funds unless it seeks to pay for humanitarian goods such as food and medicine.”
However, critics of the exemptions say that the money can be used for other purposes, and that these exemptions allow Iran to access the money in order to use it to finance its global terrorist operations.
The report pointed out that the US State Department did not confirm the referral of the new sanctions exemptions to Congress, but it defended the previous exemptions, as a State Department spokesman said, “Since 2018, the exemptions have remained a necessity as Iraq distances itself from Iranian energy imports, which is “It cannot be achieved overnight.”
The report quoted the American spokesman as saying, “Iraq is making progress on its path towards energy self-sufficiency by increasing regional electricity connectivity, seizing natural gas, and developing new local gas resources,” noting that “exemptions remain an important necessity in order to ensure that Iraq On electricity and his ability to pay his debts to Tehran.”
According to the American spokesman, “under these exemptions, “no money was allowed to enter Iran,” adding that “any idea otherwise is wrong and misleading.”
He continued, saying that these funds, which are held abroad in third countries, “can only be used in transactions to purchase food, agricultural goods, medicines, medical devices, and other transactions that are not subject to sanctions.”
The report quoted the American spokesman as saying that “this money” goes directly to the trusted seller or financial institution in another country. The money never reaches Iran.”
However, the report said, Republicans in Congress say that the continued use of the sanctions exemption system could allow Iran to reuse the money in another way after it was forced to spend it on necessary humanitarian goods.
The report stated that Representative Bill Huizenga and three of his Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives wrote to President Biden earlier this week, saying: “By waiving the implementation of sanctions, the administration is preserving a financial lifeline for the Iranian regime, even as… “It continues to support terrorist groups all over the world.”
According to the four US representatives, Iran has “a history of lying about humanitarian transactions, and there is no reason to believe that they will not try to circumvent these restrictions again.”
The four representatives go on to say in their letter that “these funds are replaceable, and the exemptions and subsequent transfer will free up billions of dollars that Iran can now spend on its terrorist agents, its nuclear activities, and its army.”
The report quoted former White House National Security Council member Richard Goldberg, who worked on the Iran file, as saying, “The latest version of the exemptions is significantly different from the exemptions issued during the administration of former President Donald Trump,” noting that Biden’s version gives Iran more space. Much in how the money is used.
According to Goldberg, “This is not the same exemption related to Iraqi electricity imports that was issued since 2018,” adding that “this exemption to ease sanctions on Iran allows it to access and use funds to support the budget, including debt payments and import support.”
The report quoted Goldberg as saying, “The fact that the administration will not even inform the American people about the amount of money that Iran has obtained during the past four months, that is, the money that supported the killing of 3 American soldiers and the continuing attacks on the US Navy, must push the US Senate to pass Immediately a draft resolution (No Money for Iranian Terrorism Law) was sent to President Biden’s office, “referring to legislation that will prevent Iran from accessing previously frozen funds.”
Translated by: Shafaq News Agency
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