The Iran nuclear deal could result in an increase of more than $3 billion that will feed terror organizations in the Middle East, according to one study.
The American Action Forum took a closer look at the deal, which is awaiting passage on Capitol Hill, and concluded that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — Iran's elite military branch — will benefit from the deal to the tune of a $3.1 billion increase to its budget. Another $1.7 billion will go to Iran's defense budget as a whole.
The IRGC was labeled by the George W. Bush administration in 2007 as a
"specially designated global terrorist." The American Action Forum report claims the branch of military supports several terror groups in the Middle East, including the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas.
"Iran also sends billions of dollars and provides military assistance to Syria," a summary of the report reads. "A spokeswoman for the United Nations recently estimated that Iran spends $6 billion per year to support the regime of Bashar al-Assad."
The report lists Iran's current defense budget before the nuclear deal as $9.9 billion, which includes $6.4 billion in funding to the IRGC. Assuming the deal is approved by Congress, those figures will balloon to $14.7 billion and $9.5 billion.
The Iran deal, which was struck in July in an attempt to clamp down on Iran's nuclear weapons program, will give Iran an estimated $140 billion in sanctions relief and assets that will be unfrozen.
Critics of the deal have said Iran got what it wanted, including the unfreezing of its assets.
One of the deal's lead negotiators, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs
Wendy Sherman, admitted she did not see the final draft of the deal before it was completed.
"I didn't see the final documents. I saw the provisional documents, as did my experts," Sherman said.
Sherman added that several side deals between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency will not be made public and will not be given to Congress as it reviews the agreement.
Last week, Democratic
Sen. Chuck Schumer announced he would vote down the Iran deal "after deep study, careful thought and considerable soul-searching."
Schumer is angling to become
the top-ranked Democrat in the Senate after Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid retires at the end of next year.