U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Member: Biden Administration Lacks Serious Policy Toward Iran

Jim Risch, a Republican senator and senior member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, criticized the Biden administration's policy toward Iran following Israeli President Isaac Herzog's speech in the U.S. Congress. On Wednesday, July 19, Senator Risch stated in a statement: "Unfortunately, the lack of a serious policy from the Biden administration regarding Iran has made Israel susceptible to continuous attacks from the Islamic Republic and its proxy forces." He added, "My colleagues and I in Congress continue to strive for a more comprehensive policy regarding Iran that goes beyond nuclear negotiations. We are ready to lead [the drafting of] laws that will curb Iran's malign behavior and provide necessary support for Israel's self-defense." Senator Jim Risch announced that he will continue to pressure the Biden administration to expand the 'Abraham Accords' in the Middle East by strengthening and broadening the circle of Israel's friends. A day prior, in Washington, experts on Middle Eastern militia groups warned about the activities and strategic changes of armed groups supported by the Islamic Republic in the region. At this meeting hosted by the 'Foundation for Defense of Democracies' (FDD), Joe Truzman, a researcher at the think tank, stated that 19 militia groups supported by the Islamic Republic are active "around Israel's borders." This expert criticized that only a few of these 19 militant groups are under U.S. sanctions, and not all of them are sanctioned. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had stated about a week ago that the U.S. remains focused on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and securing the release of American citizens unjustly detained in the country. Before Herzog's speech in Congress, Biden and Netanyahu discussed Iran.