Britt says $6B Iran deal ‘incentivizes further hostage taking’

The Biden administration’s deal with Iran to swap prisoners and release $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds is a threat to national security, according to U.S. Sen. Katie Britt. 

In the deal, the U.S. State Department said Iran will release five American citizens detained in Iran and, in exchange, the U.S. will release five Iranian citizens – along with $6 billion. 

The State Department has considered Iran a state sponsor of terrorism since 1984. Its financial and material support to terrorist groups Hezbollah, Houthi rebels and Shia militias is directly linked to bloodshed worldwide.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed off on the deal late last week, but Congress was not notified of the decision until Monday, the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Britt (R-Montgomery), ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, was outraged by the official notification to Congress.

This is a chilling headline. President Biden’s $6 billion ransom—to the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world—gravely imperils U.S. national security and America’s strategic interests. https://t.co/Qr3NcdSoEq

— Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) September 12, 2023

“The deal itself is shameful enough. But the Biden Administration choosing today of all days to notify Congress that the President is handing $6 billion to the biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world just adds insult to injury,” Britt said.

While the White House insists no taxpayer funds are directly involved in the ransom payout, Republicans are saying the damage is tangibly catastrophic. 

“This irresponsible, weak appeasement sends a terrible message across the globe and only incentivizes further hostage taking in the future,” Britt said.

“There is no doubt that President Biden’s actions once again endanger our national security and dishonor the sacrifice of American men and women who have fought valiantly for our country.”

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Last month, Britt joined 25 Republican colleagues in demanding answers from the Biden Administration about the deal with Iran, which equates to $1.2 billion per hostage.

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) was among those Senate GOP colleagues.

“First Joe Biden used 9/11 as an excuse to flee Afghanistan. Now he desecrates this day by paying ransom to the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism. Shameful,” Cotton wrote on Twitter. “I don’t think the radical ayatollahs in Tehran are going to use this for children’s hospitals. They’re going to use it to find more attacks on Israel, more attacks on American troops in the region through their proxies.

“They’re going to use it to send more missiles and drones to Russia for its war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Grayson Everett is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270