U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) unveiled legislation on Oct. 18 that would authorize $6 billion of confiscated assets from Iran to be reallocated for Israel to use for its defense against Hamas militants.
“As the Iranian-backed terror group Hamas continues its barbaric attacks against the Israeli people, the United States must stand firmly by our biggest ally in the Middle East,” Sen. Daines said.
The Fortify Israel Act, S. 3081, would also ensure that any other frozen Iranian assets aside from the $6 billion cannot be released until President Joe Biden certifies several issues to Congress. The president would need to certify that hostilities between Hamas and other Iranian-backed groups and Israel have ceased; full compensation has been made to Israel for harms resulting from the Hamas attack on Israel; and that Iran is participating in an international mechanism that will discharge the obligations of Iran to compensate Israel for all amounts determined to be owed to Israel, according to a summary of the bill provided by Sen. Daines’ office.
“The United States must not only restrict Iran’s access to Biden’s $6 billion ransom payment but also repurpose those funds to help Israel recover from these horrific actions,” the senator said.
S. 3081 is under consideration by the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee.