What’s Happening:
Israel continues to battle Hamas in the aftermath of its heinous attack on civilians. The terror group is receiving help from others in Lebanon and reportedly Syria. But its biggest supporter appears to be Iran, who has openly applauded the brutal attack.
The White House has claimed Iran was not behind the Hamas attack. Despite this, the rogue nation continues to make threats against Israel and the United States. It is likely that Iran is helping Hamas in some way, based on various reports.
Now, it appears Iran will be free to cause more damage. Sanctions against the nation are set to expire today, which will allow it to provide missiles to Hamas and others. And it doesn’t seem as if Biden is trying to stop it.
From Fox News:
This coming Wednesday is the so-called “Transition Day” when the expiration of the U.N.’s embargo against Iran’s ability to procure and sell missiles and drones goes into effect…“We are not a party to JCPOA and cannot snapback. The prior administration effectively gave up the leverage of invoking snapback with its unilateral exit from the JCPOA, which resulted in an unsuccessful attempt to trigger the snapback mechanism at the U.N. Security Council in August 2020. At the time, the overwhelming majority of U.N. Security Council members agreed that the previous resolutions had not snapped back into place. “
The Biden administration is not supporting a push to “snap back” the sanctions on Iran set to expire. Instead, they are blaming the Trump administration, and appear to be doing nothing to stop Iran from buying and selling missiles and drones.
This arrangement is unacceptable to many Republican leaders. And one has prepared a move to restore limits on Iran’s ability to spread death and destruction.
From Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul:
“The expiration of UN Security Council restrictions will leave Iran free to proliferate its missiles and drones on an even larger scale as it actively fuels conflicts around the world from Israel to Ukraine. This is why I urge my Senate colleagues to take up my H.R. 3152 Fight CRIME Act, to ensure sanctions on Iran’s dangerous missile and drone program remain in place after the lapse of UN restrictions on October 18.”
Experts have said the Biden administration has several ways to prevent Iran from acquiring and selling missiles. The United States can either support the U.N. to continue its sanctions. Or, the White House can join with European leaders to support renewed sanctions.
Instead, it is unclear what Biden is planning to do to prevent Iran from escalating the war to unspeakable levels.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul has issued a statement, urging the Senate to pass his H.R. 3152 Fight CRIME Act. According to McCaul, this bill will enact sanctions on Iran to prevent it from acquiring missiles, in the wake of the ending of the U.N.’s restrictions.
But time is quickly running out. It will take weeks, if not longer, for such a bill to pass. And then, it would have to be signed by Biden before it becomes law. Will Biden wait that long, with Iran free to buy and sell weapons?
Key Takeaways:
- Restrictions are set to expire that prevent Iran from buying and selling missiles.
- Iran supports Hamas, which started a war with Israel.
- Republican Michael McCaul has urged the Senate to pass a bill that will restrict Iran.
