Senate Republicans are making preparations to prevent the Biden regime from lifting sanctions on Iran that would allow Russia or China to develop portions of Tehran’s noncombatant nuclear program, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
The bill, led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and co-sponsored by 12 other Republicans, comes shortly after the Free Beacon reported that Russia’s state-controlled power company, Rosatom, is positioned to cash in on a $10 billion contract to construct out Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant. Moscow will be allowed to make good on the agreement after the Biden regime waives sanctions banning this work as part of the soon-to-be-announced nuclear agreement with Iran, which was mainly negotiated by Russia and China.
Cruz’s bill would forbid the Biden administration from forgoing congressionally authorized sanctions on this nuclear agreement. It likewise would reverse a controversial February decision by Biden to preemptively waive sanctions on Iran so that Russia and China could deal with civilian nuclear projects inside the country. Senior legislative sources who spoke with the Free Beacon claimed that Cruz’s bill has been in the works ever since the waivers were released but it became a much more urgent matter on Wednesday after the Free Beacon’s report.
“The Biden administration is dismantling sanctions and is aching to secure a new agreement with the Iranian regime that is even weaker than the original catastrophic Obama-Iran nuclear deal,” Cruz told the Free Beacon. “The Biden administration is so committed to their deal that they are willing to make Iran a nuclear client for Putin, including work that amounts to a $10 billion subsidy for his war machine.”
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is authoring a companion House variation to Cruz’s bill, according to congressional sources oriented on the issue.
Cruz, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated his bill would terminate efforts from the Biden administration to circumvent Congress in releasing sanction waivers that permit “Russia to build up Iran’s nuclear program.” Iran’s terrorist regime “exploits these civil nuclear waivers to build up Iran’s nuclear program with the express intention of eventually developing nuclear weapons to inflict destruction on America and our allies,” Cruz stated.
The Trump administration nixed these sanction waivers as part of its “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran that was introduced after the 2018 choice to abandon the initial nuclear agreement after Iran breached them with impunity. Currently, “the Biden administration is resurrecting them. It’s unconscionable, and Congress must put a stop to it,” Cruz stated.
The bill is also supported by Republican legislators Tom Cotton (AR.), Joni Ernst (IA), Marco Rubio (FL.), Bill Haggerty (TN.), as well as Jim Inhofe (OK.), to name a few. It is unknown at this time if the bill can amass Democratic support in the split Senate, however, some Democrats, including Sen. Bob Menendez (N.J.), have actually voice opposition to the concessions being granted to Iran as a component of settlements focused on resurrecting the 2015 bargain.
The regulation would certainly stop the United States from giving further sanction waivers to allow Iran as well as its international allies to update or upgrade its Arak heavy water activator, which has come under analysis for its ability to create enriched nuclear fuel. It additionally blocks the transfer of uranium, the key component in an atomic bomb, as well as heavy water materials, inside or beyond Iran.
Russian and Iranian records translated for the Free Beacon on Tuesday revealed that Rosatom, Russia’s leading power firm, has a $10 billion contract with Iran’s state-controlled atomic energy organization to broaden Tehran’s Bushehr nuclear plant, which additionally is targeted by Cruz’s regulation. Russia and the Biden regime confirmed on Tuesday that the new nuclear agreement includes carveouts that will forego sanctions on both countries to ensure that Russia can benefit from this contract.
The Biden administration continues “to engage with Russia on a return to full implementation of the JCPOA,” a State Department spokesman told the Free Beacon on Tuesday, referring to the nuclear deal by its official acronym.
The United States will “not sanction Russian participation in nuclear projects that are part of resuming full implementation of the JCPOA,” such as work on Iran’s civilian nuclear program. “The United States will take actions as necessary to ensure that U.S. sanctions do not apply to the implementation of JCPOA nuclear-related projects and activities by non-U.S. individuals and entities,” the official said.
H/T The Washington Free Beacon
