As reports emerged that several Iranian attack boats provocatively approached a U.S. Navy ship in the Middle East causing the American ship to maneuver to avoid collision, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) yesterday in introducing the No Ransom Payments Act of 2016. The legislation would prohibit the federal government from paying ransom, and stop payments to Iran from the U.S. Treasury Department's Judgment Fund until Iran returns the ransom money it received and pays American victims of Iranian terrorism what they are owed. This legislation also follows a report last week that the $1.7 billion payment to Iran - including the $400 million cash ransom payment - will help directly fund Iran's military expansion.
"Iran's harassment of a U.S. naval vessel is just the latest example of troubling and unsurprising behavior by the regime following the Obama administration's parade of serious policy blunders that have emboldened Tehran and invited increased belligerence. The Obama administration negotiated a disastrous nuclear agreement with Iran, ignored Iran's continued development of ballistic missiles and support for terrorism, facilitated Tehran's efforts to undermine the nuclear agreement further with exemptions, paid Tehran a cash ransom, and presided over a decline in U.S. military readiness," said Senator Ayotte.
She continued, "To make matters worse, thanks to the Obama administration's ransom payment, a new report found that American tax dollars are now directly helping the world's worst state sponsor of terrorism purchase weapons that may be used against our troops and allies. The ransom payment to Iran represents a boon for Tehran's defense budget, and we should not be surprised if the cash that the Obama administration shipped into Tehran helps fund Iran's ballistic missile program, buys additional Iranian ships to harass U.S. Navy vessels, or shows up in Moscow and Beijing to purchase weapons for the murderous Assad regime or the terrorist organization Hezbollah. Our legislation would ensure that this kind of mistake is prevented in the future."
Ayotte joined Senator Rubio, as well as Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Mark Kirk (R-IL), John Barrasso (R-WY), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) in introducing the No Ransom Payments Act. It was also introduced yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Mike Pompeo (KS-04).