House Republicans have prepared a dozen bills to place new sanctions on Iran following its unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend.
The attack occurred on Saturday when Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel – the first time Iran has ever directly attacked the country. Iran has historically used groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis to attack Israel.
Israeli and allied forces were able to shoot down 99 percent of the missiles launched by Iran. Unfortunately, 12 people still needed to be treated at a hospital after the attack and Iran continues to threaten Israel with “a decisive and much stronger response.”
The attack comes about 6 months after the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel by Iran-backed Hamas during which Hamas intentionally slaughtered more than 1,200 Israeli civilians and took more than 240 hostage. The incident marks the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
In response to Iran’s attack, House Republicans announced a dozen bills that would strengthen sanctions on the Iranian government and cut off Iran from some international economic connections. Some of the legislation would target Iran’s terror proxies in the region, especially Hamas. It would also push the European Union to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terror group, and officially recognize the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as antisemitic.
“Israel is a great ally and friend of the United States, and our partnership in combating terrorism is crucial to the national security of both nations… Unfortunately, President Biden’s appeasement of Iran and failure to support Israel has emboldened more Iranian and terrorist aggression against our ally,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in a statement. “The President has repeatedly waived and failed to enforce sanctions against Iran, granting them access to revenue which Iran turns around and gives to terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.”
“While the White House teeters and displays weakness against our adversaries on the world stage, House Republicans are unwavering in our support of Israel,” he continued. “Last year, we passed a supplemental bill to aid Israel and support our ally – but the Senate refused to take it to the floor for a vote. This week, we’re bringing several measures to demonstrate our support of Israel and take action against Iran.”
These bills… represent a comprehensive response to the Iranian threat by supporting Israel’s response to the attack and sanctioning Iran’s leaders, cutting off their revenue sources, and targeting their partners and terrorist proxies,” he added.
