Congress split over Iran's access to the dollar
Key lawmakers disagree on whether banking restrictions would violate nuclear deal.
US lawmakers are split over Iran's apparent inability to get the sanctions relief it feels entitled to under the nuclear deal.
Tough! argues Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn. Helping Iran access the out-of-reach US dollars it needs for most big-ticket transactions is a nonstarter, Corker says, especially when it is launching ballistic missiles tagged with "Israel must be wiped out."
"You don't get more than you negotiated for," Corker told reporters after an April 5 hearing with the State Department's No. 4 official. "Those banking restrictions were put in place because of money laundering and illicit financing that's taking place … and to try to accommodate dollar transactions inappropriately — I think you heard today from most people on both sides of the dais, that is not something we want to see happen."
Corker told Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon that he would try to "codify legislatively" restrictions on access to the dollar, but his Democratic counterpart isn't so sure. Ranking member Ben Cardin, D-Md., told Al-Monitor that he is worried punishing Iran beyond a limited set of prohibited activities could legitimately be seen as violating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
