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The Biden administration extended a sanctions waiver that will give Iran access to nearly $10 billion from Iraq in exchange for purchasing electricity.
The 120-day waiver, signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, is identical to one issued in July, but comes amid increasing attacks against US forces by Iranian proxies and just over a month after the Iran-backed Hamas group massacred 1,200 people. . In Israel on October 7.
Under the terms of the waiver, Iran will receive nearly $10 billion held in escrow accounts in Iraq that may only be used for humanitarian trade, US officials said. He told the Associated Press.
Extending the exemption will also allow the Iranian regime to transfer electricity payments to accounts in Oman, which can then be converted into other currencies so the Islamic Republic can purchase non-sanctioned products, according to the outlet.
US officials indicated that Blinken signed the waiver primarily because the Biden administration did not want to isolate Iraq from a vital source of energy.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller He advocated extending the exemptionUnder the pretext that the money “can only benefit the Iranian people.”
“They are getting $0 extra as a result of these concessions. Again, none of this money is sent to Iran. “They are held in third-party accounts outside Iran, and can only be used for humanitarian and other non-sanctioned purposes on behalf of the Iranian people,” Miller said during a press conference.
The State Department official also said that Iran will continue “destabilizing activities” regardless of whether the waiver is issued.
He added: “These are waivers that have been issued since 2018. We have seen Iran continue its destabilizing activities throughout that period, just as it did before the Trump administration issued the first of these waivers in 2018, and that is why we hold them accountable.” Miller said: “Through strikes against their militias in the region and through the sanctions I just mentioned, in addition to a number of other measures.”
“They choose to fund destabilizing activities first,” he added. “They’ve always done this; as far as we can tell, they always will. So when we look at these funds, we see the benefit of allowing these funds to move back into restricted accounts where they can only benefit the Iranian people.”
US forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked by Iranian proxies at least 55 times since October 17, wounding about 59 personnel, according to the Pentagon.
In September, President Biden released $6 billion in funds allocated to Iran in exchange for the release of five American detainees.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi immediately announced that Tehran would use the money “wherever we need it,” leading to fears that the regime would spend the money for nefarious purposes.
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