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The Biden administration’s “secret negotiations” with Iran have attracted much concern and backlash, leading to the House Oversight Committee’s new investigation into this deal.
These negotiations dated back to the failed Iran Nuclear Deal in 2015, a deal that the Biden administration has quietly been trying to revive. Not only is this a threat to the national security of the U.S., but it also goes against the provision made in the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015. This provision required the Biden administration to inform Congress of any agreements or deals regarding this nuclear program.
Republican representatives are now concerned about concealed negotiations, prisoner exchanges, and the plan to release funds to Iran. The Biden administration, which is currently facing an investigation into Biden’s dodgy dealings with his son’s business, will face yet another investigation from the House Oversight Committee.
Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, has announced through a press release that they will hold a hearing about these negotiations. The press release said, “The hearing will examine how the Biden administration has repeatedly engaged in secret negotiations with Iran, ignoring the emerging threats arising from Iran and its proxies.”
These threats arise from the Biden administration’s plan to pay $6 billion to release five American citizens trapped in Tehran. The release of the funds is seen by many as a ransom payment, which the committee feels is “incentivizing Iran to detain more Americans in return for cash.”
The committee explained why the investigation is taking place: “Despite promises, the Biden administration has failed to deliver transparency throughout negotiations of Iran’s nuclear arsenal program and in its murky decision to dismiss high-level U.S. envoys.”
Another concern about the alarming deal is the implications that the received money will be used to advance Iran’s nuclear program, which is a threat to U.S. security. The Hill reported that top GOP lawmakers wrote in a letter, “Any such deal or understanding with Iran that does not permanently and completely halt Iran’s nuclear enrichment raises concerns that your administration is entrenching an Iranian nuclear program that threatens U.S. national security.”
The hearing, which is titled “A Dangerous Strategy: Examining the Biden Administration’s Failures on Iran,” will take place on Sept. 13.