Republican lawmakers are requesting the Biden administration provide a classified briefing concerning Iran’s “brazen activities,” including alleged plans to assassinate United States officials.
In a letter spearheaded by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) and addressed to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Director Christine Abizaid, GOP officials expressed concerns about the growing threats posed by Iran to United States citizens and interests on American soil.
The Biden administration must be clear with Tehran: These threats are completely unacceptable and WILL NOT be tolerated. https://t.co/TvfaK5Dcoa
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) September 1, 2023
Seeking insights on the collaborative measures being adopted by U.S. national security and law enforcement agencies in anticipating and countering “persistent threats” by Tehran, the letter cites warnings of possible retaliation by the Islamic Republic against American citizens, including senior United States officials, for the killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
Noting that such “brazen activities” have continued for an extended period, it also cites the Justice Department’s announcement last year of charges against an Iranian national plotting assassinations of former Trump administration National Security Advisor John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“This is by no means an exhaustive list, but includes some of the more notable examples where Iran has threatened senior-level U.S. government officials,” it reads.
Beyond these threats, the letter also draws attention to Iran’s attempts to suppress critics of its regime both in the United States and globally, including an attack on British-Indian journalist Salman Rushdie in New York last year and a plot unearthed in January targeting opposition activist, writer, and journalist Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American critic of Iran’s human rights abuses in exile in New York City,
The letter also highlights the continued Iranian support for the U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Hezbollah, including its active operations and long-term planning within the United States, while questioning the current administration’s policy towards Iran — especially the push for a renewed nuclear deal — amid the ongoing threats.
“[I]t is curious that while these egregious activities continue, the Biden administration is not taking actions to impose consequences on the Iranian regime and instead has renewed its push for a nuclear deal with Iran,” it continues.
The letter, underscoring the Committee on Homeland Security’s jurisdiction and oversight functions, concludes by emphasizing the significance and urgency of the concerns raised and asking for an immediate classified briefing on active Iranian plots against United States citizens and the inter-agency coordination in place to counter such actions.
The matter comes as criticisms of the Islamic regime and its tactics, as well as the current administration’s handling of the situation, continue to grow.
Last month, Republican senators demanded “answers” after the Biden administration struck a deal with the Iranian regime to transfer five Iranian Americans from prison to house arrest in exchange for billions in unfrozen assets.
26 Republican senators have, in a letter to @SecBlinken and @SecYellen, expressed “significant concern over the Biden administration's decision to release approximately $6 billion in frozen assets to the Islamic Republic of Iran in exchange for the release of five US detainees.” pic.twitter.com/rsGSYBFoIJ
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) August 18, 2023
Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York declared that the Iranian people’s “blood” is on President Joe Biden’s hands, and his administration is responsible for “financing terrorism,” as she accused the president of paying “ransom.”
In May, over a hundred former world leaders penned an open letter to the heads of the United States, Canada, the E.U., and the U.K. calling for the regime in Tehran to be held accountable for its long-running crimes against humanity.
That same month, the United States announced sanctions against Iranians accused of plotting to assassinate former United States government officials, dual U.S. and Iranian nationals, and dissidents.
Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism worldwide, has long viewed the United States as a principal antagonist and has frequently accused the U.S. of inciting protesters in a bid to “destabilize” the region.
Previously, Iranian Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier-General Abolfazl Shekarchi affirmed that America is the Iranian republic’s top enemy, while the Islamic Republic’s “supreme leader” has boasted of having “defeated” the United States, as he assured a crowd of supporters that their “Death to America!” chant would yet be fulfilled as a “new order” would relegate the U.S. to isolation.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
