TEHRAN- A bipartisan bill, which was passed on Thursday to block $6 billion in Iranian assets, is an effort by American lawmakers to ensure Israeli interests. It is an action that tarnishes the U.S. credibility in diplomatic procedures. 

In the wake of the prisoner swap deal between Tehran and Washington which was announced in August, five U.S. citizens left Iran and landed in Doha on September 18.

The deal, marking a rare moment of cooperation between Iran and Washington, also included five Iranians held in the United States, along with the release of Iran’s $6 billion frozen in South Korea.

"Today, five Americans who were imprisoned in Iran are finally coming home," U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement shortly before the U.S. prisoners descended the stairs of a Qatari jet.  

 Also, five Iranians held by the United States and charged with circumventing sanctions were freed.

"This was purely a humanitarian action," Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said after arriving in New York for the annual UN General Assembly. "It can certainly be a step based upon which in the future other humanitarian actions can be taken."

Yet the humanitarian action was overshadowed by a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. It was passed by a 307-119 vote.

The bill would force the Biden administration to permanently freeze $6 billion in funds it had opened up to Iran.

The House diminishing U.S. reliability

The bill casts doubt on U.S. credibility in the world of diplomacy. 

While both the U.S. and Iranian governments appreciated the prisoner swap deal, the House representatives, with their highly controversial vote to permanently block the $6 billion discredited the U.S. administration's diplomatic efforts to cooperate with Tehran.

Though some American hawkish diplomats have expressed concerns about Tehran's released money, the Biden administration has repeatedly stressed that the funds are narrowly limited to non-sanctionable purchases like food and medicine and that they will be subject to strict oversight.           

Brett McGurk, White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, told CNN on September 18 that “These funds ($6 billion) are paid to vetted third-party vendors for food, medicine, medical products, and agricultural products to go into Iran over a period of years. If there is any diversion, we’ll know it and we’ll lock up these accounts.”  

The Hill, a top American newspaper, also quoted the Biden administration which said the money can only be used for “humanitarian reasons.” 

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), a ranking member of the HFAC, recently said, “not a single penny” of the funds has been spent by Iran and that the funds would not be used for what he called “nefarious purposes”.  The Congressman added that reneging on the deal would hurt U.S. global credibility.

Zionist lobby interests preferred over Americans

As Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) reported on Friday, U.S. lawmakers reviewed a new initiative submitted to Congress.

The proposal called on Washington to condition foreign aid to Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, and Turkey to accept a certain number of refugees from the Gaza Strip. 

The proposal was shown to key figures in the House and Senate from both parties.
 
The plan even goes so far as to envision how many Gazan residents each of these countries will receive.

Regardless of the interests of the American people, lawmakers, under the control of the Zionist lobby, seek to ensure the Israeli interests which are evacuating Gaza residents and taking a tough stance against Iran.

According to this initiative, Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, and Turkey will receive generous financial aid from the U.S.

Under the new initiative, the lawmakers will spend the American taxpayers’ dollars in a bid to fulfill the Zionist lobby's wishes.

last but not least, taking the recent actions of the American lawmakers into account, it can be perceived that they care neither about U.S. foreign policy nor U.S. citizens. 

The lawmakers even prioritize Israeli interests over Washington's.