Scott Leads Senate Republicans Asking Biden to Rescind $6 Billion Iran Hostage Deal

Scott Leads Senate Republicans Asking Biden to Rescind $6 Billion Iran Hostage Deal

Mateo Guillamont
Mateo Guillamont
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October 17, 2023

Washington, D.C.- Today, Senators Rick Scott (R-Fl) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), along with 18 Republican senators, publicly requested President Joe Biden halt fund transfers to Iran. 

The request comes amid reports of Iran’s direct involvement in financing and arming Hamas. Hamas, of course, is a US-designated terrorist group that recently attacked Israel, killing thousands and kidnapping hundreds. 

“The terror and devastation unleashed on Israel by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists has rightly horrified the world,” explained Senator Scott at the press conference. Scott continued, underscoring how “more than 1,400 innocent people, including at least 30 Americans, were brutally murdered.”

Yesterday, a bipartisan coalition of Democrat and Republican House of Representatives lawmakers wrote a letter to President Biden demanding the US cut-off any funding for Iran. 

The 110 members thanked Biden for his “unwavering support for the State of Israel” but noted the need for more action in order to counter Iran, Hamas’ main funding source. 

“Iran must be held fully accountable for its continued role in funding Hamas and Islamic terror” and the Biden administration should “take all necessary steps to cut off Iranian funding sources,” reads the letter. 

Scott’s press conference has mirrored the House’s bipartisan efforts to publicly pressure Biden on Iran. Legislators are seeking to isolate and weaken Iran by freezing all Iranian funds accessible to the US, including those forming part of the $6 billion hostage deal. 

“It’s time to take these funds off the table for good, slam Iran with the most severe sanctions imaginable and hold this evil regime accountable for the terror it has unleashed on the world,” concluded Scott. 

Absent action from Biden, Iran could not only soon be wired $6 billion, but also have authority to develop ballistic missiles, as a UN ban on the missiles is set to expire this week Wednesday. 

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Mateo Guillamont

Mateo Guillamont

Mateo is a Miami-based political reporter covering national and local politics

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