International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi, right, and Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, left, during their meeting in Tehran on Saturday © AP
By Nancy Thorner -
While Moscow continues to invade Ukraine, the Biden administration is rushing to finalize a Russia-brokered revamped nuclear agreement with Iran in the coming days without any input from Congress.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R., Texas), the lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Washington Free Beacon:
“Russia's further invasion of Ukraine is reprehensible, but we can't lose sight of the next national security crisis as it forms before our eyes: The Biden administration is reportedly rushing to finalize a deal with Iran, brokered by Russia, that it does not want Congress to review, in violation of U.S. law."
“Congressional review of any Iran nuclear deal was enacted with broad bipartisan support to ensure legislative oversight of any dealings regarding the nuclear program of the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. If the administration circumvents Congress, that is a blinking red light for the American people that this is a bad deal.”
Said Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), also a House Foreign Affairs Committee member to the Washington Free Beacon:
“This is a Reagan moment for our country, but we have a Carter president in the White House. The Biden Doctrine for foreign policy is acquiesce to our enemies and hope for the best.”
Biden's new, revised Iran deal
In July of 2015, President Obama with Iran and the six world powers—the United States, China, Russia, Great Britain, France, and Germany, plus the European Union — signed a nuclear dealcalled the “Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.”
According to Richard Goldberg, Biden's coming Iran deal will be even worse than Obama's 2015 deal.
"What the U.S. is agreeing to in Vienna is a shorter and weaker agreement that provides even more sanctions relief in exchange for fewer restrictions. Biden’s version would lift U.S. terrorism sanctions on Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, and leave Tehran’s illicit nuclear infrastructure intact without first demanding a full accounting of Iran’s secret nuclear work.
Under the deal, Iran would get access to more than $100 billion, which it could spend on terrorism, missiles, and the pursuit of regional hegemony. Enforcement remains weak or non-existent, so there is no barrier to Iran’s crossing the nuclear threshold at a time of its choosing. Terrorism sanctions imposed on the Central Bank of Iran, the National Iranian Oil Company, and a host of other banks and companies will be suspended without any evidence that these institutions are no longer engaged in financing terrorism.”
“The State Department may even rescind the terrorist designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps despite its continuing sponsorship of terrorism and history of targeting Americans — a slap in the face to nearly 1,200 Gold Star family members who recently pled with the White House not to release any funds to Iran until the regime first paid $60 billion in judgments owed to American victims of Iran-sponsored terrorism."
Said Gabriel Noronha, who served as Special Advisor for Iran in the U.S. Department of State Department from 2019-2020, writing in Tablet magazine: “The deal does not restore President Barack Obama’s old Iran deal, a weak agreement from which President Donald Trump withdrew, but goes much further in giving Iran money and sanctions relief.”
"President Joe Biden’s impending agreement to restore the Iran nuclear deal offers the regime access to $90 billion in foreign currency reserves and sanctions relief to some of the world’s worst terrorists, according to a former State Department official."
Biden announces Russian oil imports ban
Although President Biden showed some spine to punish Russia in announcing his oil imports ban on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 — mostly due to bipartisan political pressure from Capitol Hill and an emotional plea from embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – he ran away from questions after announcing the ban.
As reported U.S. News on March 8, 2022:
The immediate ban – which had mounting support from congressional lawmakers eager to show support for the Ukrainian people – is more of a political statement than an economic one by the United States, which gets about 3% of its oil from Russia.
The Biden administration had been hedging on imposing the ban, partly because of the impact on already high gas prices and partly because Europe is not yet willing to impose a similar ban.
Democrats, including Biden on Tuesday, said the crisis was a reminder to move to alternative energy to make the nation less reliant on foreign energy sources – not just Russia but countries like Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have poor human rights records but plentiful oil.
Republicans said the ban should force Biden to allow more drilling on U.S. land. In January 2021, Biden signed an executive order to halt new oil and gas leases on public lands and water.
Time to drill!
A question to President Biden: Where are we to get our oil if not from countries like Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran? Are we going to depend on dictators to supply us with oil?
Under Trump this nation was becoming energy independent and an oil and gas exporter.
It is folly to believe that wind and solar are or can become viable sources of energy when it comes to fueling the economic engine of this nation.
Just where is the electricity going to come from to power the electric cars and trucks so admired and pushed by Democrats on Americans? Buttigieg tells Americans to buy electric vehicles to save money on gas, when an average cost of an electric vehicle is over $55,000.
If it's green energy Democrats so desire, then nuclear power is the way to go.
China and Russia are powering up, while this nation is powering down. The future doesn't bode well for this nation unless sanity and common sense soon start to rule the day.
