Staff Reports
Former State Department advisor, Gabriel Noronha, has come forward to challenge the Biden team’s excuse for releasing $6 billion to Iran. Noronha, who was heavily involved in coordinating policy with Iran during his time at the State Department, is not buying the spin from the Biden administration. He called out the media for falling for their narrative as well.
According to Noronha, the $6 billion is not being used for “food and medicine” as claimed by the Biden team. Instead, the money is being used to backfill Iran’s internal accounting debts to the Central Bank, which is associated with Iranian terrorism and support for Hamas. He even pointed out that Iran directly provides millions of dollars to Hamas through the IRGC. By releasing the funds, Noronha argues that the Biden administration is enabling Iran to continue its support for terrorism.
2. Iran can now devote $6 billion of its unrestricted funds toward financial, operational, and logistical support for terror proxies including Hamas.
And it will do so through the Central Bank of Iran, which received a sanctions waiver last month as part of the hostage deal. pic.twitter.com/Vq0EsDbOns
— Gabriel Noronha (@GLNoronha) October 7, 2023
There are also concerns about whether the money will actually go towards food and medicine, as claimed. Noronha highlighted the lack of ability for end-use monitoring and questioned the guarantee that the funds would be used for their intended purposes. He emphasized the need to be cautious and skeptical of the Biden administration’s statements, as previous attempts to sell a similar story have been made. Noronha highlighted a statement from the Iranian president, who suggested that the money would be budgeted for any needs the Iranian people have. This lack of specificity raises doubts about whether the funds will truly be used for humanitarian purposes.
Noronha concluded that releasing the $6 billion has given Iran stability in its currency markets and fiscal space, allowing them to continue supporting Hamas.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken himself has admitted that Iran has always used its funds to support terrorism. So why would the Biden administration do anything to enable that? Noronha’s insights reveal the potential dangers and ulterior motives behind releasing such a large sum of money to Iran.
