CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, joined 24 of her Senate colleagues, led by U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), in sending a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demanding answers over the administration’s lack of a cohesive Iran strategy, given the recent decision to extend an Iran sanctions waiver. As Israel continues to battle Iran-backed Hamas and the regime’s proxies increase their attacks against U.S. personnel in the Middle-East region, the Biden administration on November 13 issued a waiver allowing Iran access to approximately $10 billion.

“A strong signal of deterrence—utilizing military, economic, and diplomatic tools—is needed if we want to stop the attacks against U.S. personnel and prevent the war in Gaza from expanding into a protracted regional conflict. Unfortunately, the administration’s military and economic responses to Iran and its proxies have not only been disproportionate, they appear to be completely disjointed,” the senators wrote.

“We therefore request that your departments provide us with a classified assessment on the administration’s plan to deter Iranian aggression and prevent the escalation of conflict in the Middle East. This assessment should include an estimation of how Iran has already leveraged—and could in the future leverage—against U.S. persons and interests the tens of billions in assets it now has access to due to your administration’s use of U.S. sanctions waivers and is to be provided in a member or staff-level briefing no later than December 7, 2023,” the senators continued.

To read the senators’ full letter, click here.

BACKGROUND:

Last month, Senator Capito cosponsored a bill that would freeze the $6 billion that the Biden administration made available to Iran, a state sponsor of Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel.

On August 18, Senator Capito joined her colleagues in demanding answers from the Biden administration after it announced the release of $6 billion to the Iran regime.

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