U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced Thursday that her measure calling on the Biden administration to permanently freeze a recent $6 billion ransom payment to Iran amid Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel has passed the U.S. Senate.
In September, as part of a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Iran, the U.S. transferred $6 billion in Iranian oil assets that were held in a restricted account for the release of five Americans who were wrongfully detained.
Blackburn’s measure passed as part of the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) process.
“As the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, it is critical that not one more U.S. taxpayer dollar is given to the Iranian regime,” Blackburn said in a statement. “With Iran’s backing to the tune of $100 million annually, Hamas was able to commit the largest mass killing of Jewish people in a single day since the Holocaust, and they have no intention of stopping.”
Two days after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel that left around 1,200 Israelis dead, Blackburn led 19 Senate Republicans in sending a letter to President Joe Biden urging his administration to freeze the $6 billion ransom payment to Iran.
In addition, Blackburn joined South Carolina U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) in introducing the Revoke Iranian Funding Act, which, if enacted, would “rescind the general licenses that enabled the release of the $6 billion to Iran and prevent the Iranian regime from accessing and using the funds held in Qatar to finance terrorist attacks against Israel or any other nation.”
“Giving Iran $6 billion – even if for humanitarian aid – allows them to reallocate other funds to supporting terrorism. After I led 19 of my colleagues in the initial call on President Biden to freeze this payment, I am pleased to see Congress just sent him a message to permanently freeze the funds,” Blackburn added in her statement on Thursday.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Marsha Blackburn” by Marsha Blackburn.
