Exclusive Statement from Senator Tim Scott to VOA Persian Regarding the Policies of the Islamic Republic

Tim Scott, a representative from South Carolina in the U.S. Senate, provided an exclusive statement to VOA Persian in response to questions regarding the Iranian government's demand for $2.5 billion in damages from the U.S. government, as well as the claim of U.S. involvement in the Shiraz bombing and the death sentence issued for Jamshid Sharmeh, a German-Iranian citizen with permanent residency in the U.S., accused of having ties to the group responsible for the bombing. The Republican senator emphasized his ongoing efforts as a senator to combat 'dangerous policies' that lead to the detention of American citizens abroad, calling for the release of Americans who have been illegally detained or taken hostage in foreign countries. He also noted that he has led dozens of Republican senators in holding the Biden administration accountable for what he perceives as its incorrect policies regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran. Tim Scott, who is a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee, reminded that last year he proposed legislation to block the $6 billion that the Biden administration provided to Iran and called for a comprehensive accounting of all valuable Iranian assets frozen due to sanctions worldwide. Last month, this Republican senator, along with two other fellow party senators - Roger Wicker and Tom Cotton - introduced a resolution emphasizing the President's constitutional powers to use military force to ensure the freedom of American hostages, including six American citizens taken hostage by Hamas on October 6. In his statement, he described the Hamas attack on Israel on October 6 as 'brutal' and stressed the importance of fighting for the security of the Israeli people against the terrorist threats posed by Hamas militants, who are considered proxies supported by the Islamic Republic. This American legislator held a meeting last year with victims of the Hamas attack and their families, including children, to hear their firsthand accounts of the violence inflicted by Hamas. Tim Scott announced in January 2023 that he would run in the U.S. presidential elections in the fall of 2024; however, he withdrew from this decision in November 2022. Exclusive; Ted Cruz, a Republican senator, described the Iranian government's treatment of Jamshid Sharmeh as 'brazen and brutal.' The U.S. response to the $2.5 billion damage claim against Jamshid Sharmeh: We support the right to free speech for Iranians. The Islamic Republic's claim for $2.5 billion against Jamshid Sharmeh and the U.S. government. The U.S. condemned the death sentence for Jamshid Sharmeh in the strongest terms. Fact-checking 'Fact Sheet': The claim of the bombing in Shiraz has 'eight serious contradictions and ambiguities.'