Iran
Republicans applaud Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and cite it as proof of Trump’s enormous contribution to Israel’s security. Indeed, there were challenges with the inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) at the time of Trump’s withdrawal from the deal in 2018.
Yet six years ago, Iran was 12 months away from being able to develop a nuclear weapon. Without any oversight or obligations to curtail its nuclear activities since 2018, Iran’s nuclear program advanced to the point where the Islamic Republic can have its first nuclear weapon in one to two weeks and up to ten weapons in 60 days.
It is clear that today, due to Trump’s withdrawal from JCPOA and the resulting inability by IAEA to inspect and monitor Iran’s nuclear program, Iran represents a bigger threat to Israel.
Questions & Answers
Claims that the Biden administration sent U.S. money to Iran are false. The reality is that the $16B in question was Iran’s money sitting in overseas accounts, with $10B of that amount made available to Iran for humanitarian purposes under the waiver put in place by the Trump administration. The remaining $6B of Iran’s overseas funds was "released" by the Biden administration as part of the hostage exchange deal.
While official sources are not able to confirm it, it is reported that Iran has not withdrawn any of the $16B in question and that the full amount remains in a closely monitored bank account in Qatar.
Not really. During the Biden administration, Iran’s oil exports have been only 6% higher than during the Trump administration: 1,636m total barrels vs. 1,541m. This 95 million barrel increase is mostly due to stronger demand from China, combined with the Biden administration’s unwillingness to strictly enforce existing sanctions on Iran in order to avoid price disruption in the global oil markets and creating additional friction with China, the largest purchaser of Iran’s crude.
Bottom line: oil exports have not created a significant lifeline for the Iran regime during the Biden administration.
Yes. In September 2022, the U.S. imposed sanctions on a network of companies involved in Iran’s oil trade, including five based in China, accusing them of participating in the sale of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil. In April 2023, the U.S. confiscated Iranian oil on a tanker at sea in a sanctions enforcement operation.
And on September 25, 2024, the U.S. imposed sanctions on more than a dozen businesses and ships involved in transporting Iranian oil. Iran relies on illicit sales to fund its proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis for their terrorist activities.
No. Since then-President Donald Trump's decision in 2018 to pull the U.S. out of the Iran Nuclear Deal, which restricted Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, IAEA’s ability to monitor Iran’s nuclear progress has vanished.
