Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Opposes Iran's Access to Dollars

The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, stated on Thursday, April 15, that he opposes any efforts to grant Tehran access to U.S. dollars and is concerned about giving excessive concessions to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ryan, a Republican leader and opponent of the international agreement with Iran regarding its nuclear program, told a group of reporters: "I am worried (about this agreement). I am concerned that we will give so many concessions that we will not be able to take them back." According to Reuters, he added: "I believe that next year, with the new administration coming into power, we should take back many of these concessions as much as possible." Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., reached an agreement last July to resolve ambiguities regarding Tehran's nuclear program and lift international sanctions against the Islamic Republic. This agreement was implemented in January of last year. Under this agreement, Iran agreed to suspend many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of financial, banking, insurance, and commodity sanctions against Tehran. However, Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, have accused the U.S. of continuing to obstruct Iran's access to the international financial system, especially transactions in dollars. International banks are concerned that they may face new sanctions from Washington due to other U.S. sanctions lists, particularly in the areas of human rights and Iran's missile program. In recent weeks, some reports have emerged indicating that the Obama administration is seeking to facilitate Iran's dollar transactions outside the U.S. banking system. However, Republicans have opposed this decision. In this context, Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Mark Kirk have introduced a bill to prevent the Obama administration's plan to facilitate Iran's foreign transactions in dollars. In another part of his remarks, Ryan addressed the U.S. elections and stated that the whole world is watching U.S. policy, and he understands how U.S. Middle Eastern allies are concerned due to Donald Trump's "provocative statements," the leading Republican candidate. This Wisconsin representative, who recently traveled to several Middle Eastern countries, rejected the view that a war-weary United States should retreat. Donald Trump has called for U.S. allies to pay more or the U.S. will withdraw. Ryan, who two days ago dismissed speculation about his candidacy for the U.S. presidency, said that this strategy (Trump's) is unrealistic. He opposed U.S. retreat policy, stating: "Who is going to lead the world... to ultimately destroy radical Islamic terrorism? And if we retreat and think that oceans can protect us, evidence from the past decades disproves this theory." The Speaker of the House of Representatives led a congressional delegation to Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Germany. After returning to the U.S., he criticized the Obama administration's foreign policy regarding dealings with Iran and Syria, stating that U.S. allies want to know whether the United States "is still in the field." Ryan added that these allies are somewhat confused by the Obama administration's policy. When asked if they are also confused by Trump's statements, he said: "Definitely. I saw this. Everyone is paying attention to our policies."