XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, talk.politics.misc, talk.politics.guns
XPost: rec.arts.tv, alt.atheism
BASH: “While we’re talking about Iran, I just have to ask you if you want to respond to what we’re hearing from Republicans, who are over and over since this happened using the word ‘appeasement’ when it comes to Iran and your administration. They criticize your decision to unfreeze $6 billion in
Iranian funds. I know and want to say that that money, according to your administration, has not yet been unfrozen. Iran does not yet have it. But the accusation is that … the administration’s posture toward Iran has helped contribute to this. I want to give you a chance to respond.”
BLINKEN: “Well, there are two things here. First, with regard to the funds
that you mentioned that were made available to Iran for humanitarian purposes as part of getting Americans back who were being held and detained in Iran. Let’s be very clear about this, and it’s deeply unfortunate that some are playing politics when so many lives have been lost and Israel remains under attack. The facts are these. No U.S. taxpayer dollars were involved. These
were Iranian resources that Iran had accumulated for the sale of its oil that were stuck in a bank in South Korea. They have had from day one … under our sanctions the right to use these monies for humanitarian purposes. They were moved from one account to another in another country to facilitate that use.
As of now, not a single dollar has been spent from that account. And, again, the account is closely regulated by the U.S. Treasury Department so it can
only be used for things like food, medicine, medical equipment. That’s what this is about. And by the way, the previous administration set up a very similar mechanism to enable Iran to use its oil proceeds that were blocked
from various places or stuck in various places for humanitarian purposes. So people are either misinformed or they’re misinforming, and either way it's wrong.”
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/8/2198018/-Sunday-Four-Play-Matt- Gaetz-tries-to-splain-himself-and-Blinken-responds-to-GOP-lies-about-Hamas? pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_9&pm_medium=web
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