The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein and ZOA Director of Government Relations Dan Pollak released the following statement:
ZOA strongly praises Rep. Scott Franklin (R-FL) for leading a letter signed by 87 members of Congress urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to keep Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the designated list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The letter comes in response to news reports that the Biden Administration is considering removing the IRGC’s FTO designation as part of a new nuclear deal with Iran.
The proposed deal being negotiated is a future disaster being erected on an edifice of a horrible existing Iran deal. One claim of the original JCPOA was that it left in effect all sanctions on Iran due to their terrorism, human rights violations and ballistic missile development. All such reassurances are now being undone as the reported deal is nearing announcement.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world today,” Franklin stated. “Through its sponsorship of terrorism, the IRGC is responsible for the deaths of countless innocent people and at least 600 U.S. troops. It has consistently sought the destruction of our partners and allies in the region, most notably Israel, and has been an obstacle to peace in the Middle East for decades. The Biden administration simply cannot reward this terrorist regime with any sort of legitimacy from the U.S. government.”
Franklin was joined by 86 of his colleagues. Unfortunately, only Republicans signed the letter. The list of cosigners includes:
Reps. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Bob Gibbs (R-OH), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Maria Salazar (R-FL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Russ Fulcher (R-ID), Rodney Davis (R-IL), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Chip Roy (R-TX), Michael Waltz (R-FL), David P. Joyce (R-OH), Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), Billy Long (R-MO), Randy Weber (R-TX), Ben Cline (R-VA) , Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL), Darrell Isa (R-CA), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Yvette Herrell (R-NM), Jody Hice (R-GA-10), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), August Pfluger (R-TX), Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Jim Banks (R-IN), Mike Garcia (R-CA), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Trent Kelly (R-MS), David Kustoff (R-TN), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), David McKinley, (R-WV), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Charles “Chuck” Fleischmann (R-TN), Steven Palazzo (R-MS), Rob Wittman (R-VA), Barry Moore (R-AL), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), Jackie Walorski (R-IN), William Timmons (R-SC), Andy Barr (R-KY), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Bill Posey (R-FL), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY), Lance Gooden (R-TX), Michael Guest (R-MS), Troy Balderson (R-OH), Kevin Hern (R-OK), Michelle Steel (R-CA), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Jodey C. Arrington (R-TX), Julia Letlow (R-LA), Bryan Steil (R-WI), Gregory Steube (R-FL), Richard Hudson (R-NC), Bill Huizenga (R-M), David Schweikert (R-AZ), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Kat Cammack (R-FL), John H. Rutherford (R-FL), Tim Burchett (R-TN), John R. Moolenaar (R-MI), Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL), H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Mike Bost (R-IL), Chris Stewart (R-UT), Rick W. Allen (R-GA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Lisa McClain (R-MI), Mike Carey (R-OH), Andy Harris (R-MD), Rick Crawford (R-AR), Adrian Smith (R-NE), and Troy Nehls (R-TX).
The ZOA thanks all of these signers of the letter and urges Republicans and Democrats in both houses to focus on keeping sanctions on the IRGC.