Republicans have succeeded in including several measures in the annual defense bill that will prevent the Biden administration from providing funds to Iran and require the administration to disclose any easing of economic sanctions it offers to the Islamic Republic. The Republican Study Committee (RSC), the largest party group of Republicans in Congress, has incorporated its anti-Iran agenda into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2022, which was passed by the House of Representatives this week.
Republicans are using the National Defense Authorization Act to suppress Iran and reveal the concessions that the Biden administration is making to Tehran as part of negotiations aimed at securing a revised version of the 2015 nuclear deal. According to the Washington Free Beacon, many of the measures included in the House version of the NDAA, which must also be approved by the Senate, will grant lawmakers unprecedented visibility into Iran's malign activities, as well as the Biden administration's efforts to lift sanctions imposed on the hardline regime.
Republicans have been planning their NDAA approach for months, according to congressional sources working on the matter. The House is leading numerous investigations into the Biden administration's diplomacy with Iran and its efforts to provide Iran with financial lifelines. The committee has been working with Democratic colleagues to enforce several provisions in the law that would impose transparency on the Biden administration during its negotiations with Iran.
Republican leaders are promoting a provision that would require the Treasury Department to immediately inform Congress when sanctions on state sponsors of terrorism are lifted, compelling the Biden administration to notify Congress in advance about any easing of sanctions granted to Iran. This is aimed at addressing the Biden administration's refusal to keep Congress informed about the status of negotiations with Iran and the concessions being discussed.
Currently, the administration is not obligated to provide such notification. Another measure requires the government to submit a report to Congress on all malign activities conducted by Iran on U.S. soil, which is another unprecedented demand. This would include Iran-backed terrorist attacks, kidnapping plots, export violations, sanctions evasion activities, money laundering, among others. The amendment aims to address an increase in Iranian activity in America, including a foiled high-profile kidnapping plot of an American journalist earlier this year.
There is also a provision requiring the Secretary of Defense to inform Congress about the short- and long-term threats posed by Iran-backed militias in Iraq. There is growing concern in Congress that these militias are planning terrorist attacks on U.S. sites. The Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq have been identified as responsible for a series of drone strikes on U.S. locations, including attacks on the U.S. embassy complex in Iraq.
The law also addresses the growing relationship between Iran and China. The government will be required to provide Congress with regular updates on the expanding military relations between Iran and China, including any arms transfers, military visits, and material support from Beijing to Tehran. Other provisions require Congress to be informed about Iran's military capabilities and the capabilities of proxy terrorist groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas.
Banks stated, "No one understands the Iranian threat as well as the members of the RSC." “Since the beginning of Congress, the RSC has been leading the charge to hold the Biden administration accountable for its disastrous plans to re-enter the failed Obama-era Iranian deal.”
