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Pardon us if this week's Action Update feels like you've heard what
we're saying before. We assure our faithful readers that we're not
recycling old material. Sadly however, it appears the Biden
administration is doing just that when it comes to American policy
towards Iran.

Money For Prisoners (Take two)

The Americans have denied it. The Brits have downplayed it. And yet the
Iranians are reporting on their state television that the Islamic
Republic is going to release American and British prisoners in exchange
for billions of dollars in cash. If this sounds familiar that's
because this is exactly what was done under the Obama administration.

In August of 2016, the Wall Street Journal ran the following headline,
"U.S. Sent Cash to Iran as Americans Were Freed." The Journal went
onto report, "The Obama administration secretly organized an airlift
of $400 million worth of cash to Iran that coincided with the January
release of four Americans detained in Tehran, according to U.S. and
European officials and congressional staff briefed on the operation
afterward."

So... yes, it appears the United States is once again on the precipice
of bribing the world's leading sponsor of terror. We imagine
Hezbollah's CFO is already reworking his terrorist organization's
projected 2022 budget.

Sanctions Relief for Empty Promises (Take Two)

Meanwhile, while the Biden administration has repeatedly called for a
"longer and stronger" agreement with Tehran, indications are that
instead America's negotiators are capitulating to Iranian demands as
if it's their job... (it isn't, is it?).

According to reports, Iran's top nuclear negotiators said thus far
Team Biden has agreed to remove sanctions on Iran's oilindustry,
banking sector and most of the other individuals and entities that were
sanctioned. It's as if the administration is forgetting the Iranians
are: the world's leading sponsor of terror; pursuing a nuclear weapons
capability; and serial human rights abusers, just to name a few.

If the US is giving up its leverage in return for more empty promises
and unverifiable short-term agreements with Iran, then we really are
back where we were before President Trump left the Iran nuclear accord.
Just over 100 days in office, and the administration is looking to
regress nearly 4 years.

Looking the Other Way (Take Two)

As an American pro-Israel organization we often focus on American and
Israeli interests in the context of policy towards Iran. But we make a
point of always highlighting the Islamic Republic's mistreatment of
their own people because an Iranian life is worth no less than any
other. In that respect, we embrace the classical Christian, and for that
matter classical liberal, ideal that all life has inherent worth.

That is why we are truly dismayed that the above news about potential
American capitulation to the tyrants of Tehran comes just as the regime
announced that they're mulling over the prospect of murdering a man
named Vahid Afkari. The regime already killed his brother, champion
wrestler Navid Afkari. The Afkari brothers alleged "crime?" Speaking
out against the brutal oppression of the regime with which our own
government is now, yet again, seeking to do business. We weep and pray
for the Afkari family, and for all those upon whose throats the Iranian
regime's boot stands.

While we hope that the administration's denials of the massive scope
of potential concessions to the Iranian regime are sincere, the
direction of the talks making headlines would indicate otherwise. As
such, policy makers on Capitol Hill have been busy at countering
capitulation to Tehran and we've made sure our voices are heard as
well. Be it garnering support for legislation which would enable
Congress to block any Team Biden proposal to lift sanctions against the
Iranian regime or efforts to codify the maximum pressure campaign -
those who are committed to pushing back against another bad deal are
putting their cards on the table.

But as we've seen in the past, it's not just legislators and foreign
leaders who have a say in how the next phase in US-Iran relations
unfolds. It's also business leaders and the markets they feed who will
need to assess whether a highly partisan and publicly unpopular
political agreement, with the leading state sponsor of terrorism, is
good enough to turn on the financial spigots. Many in Congress and many
more across the country have made it clear: a deal which falls short of
being comprehensive and bipartisan will have an extremely short shelf
life.

Until next week, thank you as always for keeping up to date on the
latest developments on Iran and all the issues facing the US-Israel
relationship.

Sincerely,

CUFI Action Fund Team

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