WASHINGTON (TNND) — Congressional Republicans are advancing a legislative package titled the “Enforcing Maximum Pressure: Holding Iran Accountable” initiative, which consists of ten bills aimed at intensifying sanctions on Iran and its terror proxy network.
The proposed sanctions would obstruct Iran’s ability to fund terrorism throughout the Middle East, sanction the Supreme Leader of Iran, and compel the President of the United States to enforce sanctions on Iranian oil sales.
The initiative seeks to support former President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum/ NSPM-2, which aims to restore maximum pressure on Iran by denying it all paths to a nuclear weapon and countering its malign influence abroad.
Republicans assert that the Biden administration’s failure to enforce meaningful sanctions allowed the Iranian regime to orchestrate, fund, and celebrate the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, launch attacks on U.S. servicemembers in the region, and target U.S. shipping and commerce vessels in the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Bab el-Mandab Strait.
The legislative package could impact the Israel-Hamas war, with the Republican Study Committee (RSC) claiming that if meaningful sanctions had been in place, the Iranian regime would not have been able to orchestrate and fund the attacks on Israel.
“The Republican Study Committee isn’t just talking tough here we’re delivering a clear message to Tehran: America is BACK, your terror funding days are NUMBERED, and your regime will face consequences that even the Ayatollah can’t pray away,” explained RSC Chairman August Pfluger.
Iran has historically funded groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Palestine, the Houthis in Yemen, and other terrorist groups in Iraq, Syria, and Bahrain.
According to the House Committee on Financial Services, from 2012-2018, Iran spent $16 billion propping up the Assad regime and supporting its other terror partners in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, and Palestinian territories. Estimates from the State Department indicate that Hezbollah alone receives about $700 million annually, making it Iran’s top proxy.
The Atlantic Council reported that Iran has been using a global network of fake companies and shady banks, mainly in the UAE, to secretly move billions and evade sanctions. The U.S. and its allies are now pressuring the UAE to crack down on these activities or risk facing sanctions themselves.