Biden About to Hand Iran 'Huge Victory' by Letting Missile Sanctions Expire, National Security Veteran Says
The United Nations’ embargo against Iran’s access to missile and drone markets expires Wednesday, providing Iran ally Hamas with major advantage over Israel unless halted by the U.S. and European allies.
Loss of the sanctions will be “a huge victory for Tehran,” according to Richard Goldberg, Trump administration director for Countering Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction of the National Security Council, Fox News reported.
Ongoing inaction by the Biden administration to continue the sanctions “is an unforgivable policy choice at this moment,” according to Goldberg, who currently is a senior advisor for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).
Likening the current Biden administration policy to “appeasement,“ Goldberg said: “We can stop it from expiring. We could send a letter to the United Nations Security Council and trigger snapback sanctions.”
The sanctions stem from Resolution 2231 of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action passed in 2015 by the UN Security Council limiting Iranian nuclear efforts.
“Iran is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology, until the date eight years after the JCPOA Adoption Day,” the resolution said with the eight-year expiration date designated as “Transition Day,” on Wednesday.
Since the U.S. participated in Resolution 2231, it could prevent the sanctions from expiring, something the Biden administration has failed to do, despite Hamas killing 1,400 people in Israel, including Americans.
Recently State Department spokesman Vedant Patel was asked if the Biden administration had plans to continue the Iranian embargo, according to Fox News.
Besides Resolution 2231, Patel replied that “We have our own sanction authorities. We have export controls. We have bilateral and multilateral engagements.
“We have already targeted the same networks and individuals that would have been covered under a [Resolution 2231] violation and we’ll continue to use our own sanctions authorities to hold the Iranian regime accountable.”
Pressed on whether or not the U.S. would allow sanctions to expire, Patel made no commitment, again noting the administration is holding Iran accountable.
Inaction is interpreted by Goldberg as a form of support. “The president gives a speech saying he is heartbroken about the images of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and opposes Hamas,“ he said, “And a week later, he hands a gift to Hamas’ sponsor, Iran.
“My heart breaks to see the president lift this embargo.”
Iran expert Behnam Ben Taleblu, also of FDD, said: “Washington’s silence on the lapse of U.N. missile prohibitions on Iranian missile testing and transfers is deafening.”
“Iran’s missile proliferation radius keeps expanding, and with the lapse of U.N. restrictions this October, that will almost certainly grow to include Russia,” he said, Fox News reported.
The issue is about more than missiles — from 22 to 50 countries make up a market for Iranian drones.
Among them is Russia, and Taleblu noted that Iran is “likely waiting for this,” predicting Iran will use suspension of sanctions as an opportunity to provide drones for the Russian war effort in Ukraine.
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