U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) joined several of his Republican colleagues in requesting that the Biden administration answer questions about the approximately $6 billion in frozen assets it released to Iran in exchange for five American prisoners.
“While we firmly believe the United States must use every appropriate resource to secure the release of American citizens wrongfully detained overseas, this decision will reinforce an incredibly dangerous precedent and will enable the Iranian regime to increase its destabilizing activities across the Middle East,” wrote the lawmakers in an Aug. 18 letter sent to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Among the 25 other lawmakers who joined Sen. Young in signing the letter were U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Steve Daines (R-MT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).
The senators pointed out that in the release of Executive Order 14078 on July 19, 2022, the White House admitted that terrorist organizations, criminal groups, and other malicious actors who take hostages for financial, political, or other gain — as well as foreign states that engage in the practice of wrongful detention, including for political leverage or to seek concessions from the United States — threaten the integrity of the international political system and the safety of United States nationals and other persons abroad.
“The release of such a significant sum to the Iranian regime runs entirely counter to that claim and will only serve to encourage additional hostage taking for financial or political gain,” wrote Sen. Young and his colleagues.
The lawmakers also noted that when the Obama administration released $400 million in liquidated assets to Iran in 2016, they warned that “this dangerous precedent” would put a price on American lives.
“Seven years later, the current administration is providing a ransom payment worth at least 15 times that amount to the world’s largest state sponsor of terror, in yet another violation of the United States’ long-standing ‘no concessions’ policy,” according to their letter.
Sen. Young and his colleagues requested that Blinken and Yellen provide them with an in-person briefing, as well as written responses to several questions within 30 days of the letter’s date.
Among the questions, the lawmakers want to know how their departments can guarantee that the funds will only be used for humanitarian purposes and will not free up additional resources that the Iranian regime can use to support terrorist networks and weapons proliferation, or increase its nuclear enrichment activities.
“Any agreement with the Iranian regime that entails financial reward for malign behavior is wholly unacceptable,” Sen. Young and the lawmakers wrote.