As a little boy in Scranton, Joey Biden must have given the schoolyard bully his lunch money — plus the cash Mrs. Biden handed her son to buy groceries on the way home. Oh, and Joey surrendered to the bully one month’s rent, which he swiped from Mr. Biden’s desk drawer, right where the bully reckoned it would be. And what about Grandpa’s fat wad of cash destined for Joey’s college fund? Yup. The lad let the bully have that, too.
The more the bully pounded Joey, the more cash Joey coughed up.
READ MORE from Deroy Murdock: Save Israel: Seize Iran’s $6 Billion
Only such traumatic childhood memories could explain the eerily similar relationship between President Joe Biden and the Islamic Republic of Iran. There seems to be no stream of revenue that Biden has not channeled toward the ayatollahs. And the more horribly they behave, the more handsomely they get paid.
This problem was bad enough before Oct. 7, the date when Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists slaughtered some 1,200 Israelis and 31 Americans and kidnapped 239 hostages. Until that date, one could chalk up to toxic idealism the $77 billion that Biden ignored, defrosted, or approved, as this sum slipped into the hands of the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism.
But Biden’s generosity toward Tehran has roared on, even after the Oct. 7 bloodbath.
On Nov. 14, Biden’s State Department issued a 120-day sanctions exemption that lets Iraq pay Iran $10 billion for electricity. This renews a similar $10 billion waiver unveiled on July 18.
Under President Donald J. Trump’s “Maximum Pressure” sanctions regime, the Trade Bank of Iraq held these funds in escrow. Now, under Biden, they will be in the ayatollahs’ bloody fingers, after coursing through French, German, and Omani banks. According to the Wall Street Journal, “This is likely so the money can be changed to euros, which are more readily convertible” than the Iraqi dinars at this cashflow’s headwaters.
Biden greenlighted these $10 billion even after Iranian proxy forces had attacked U.S. military positions 56 times since October 17. These assaults had injured 59 American GIs as of Nov. 14, including 27 with traumatic brain injuries.
Diehard Bidenites might have argued that these $10 billion were worth every penny if they appeased Iran into commanding its puppets to leave Americans in peace.
No such luck!
Even after Nov. 14’s announcement of Biden’s $10 billion cash injection, conveniently converted from dodgy dinars to exquisite euros, Iran still conducts third-party strikes against American forces.
“U.S. forces have been attacked approximately 66 times since October 17,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told journalists Tuesday night. “32 separate times in Iraq, and 34 separate times in Syria.” Biden has retaliated on a whopping four occasions.
NEW: Iranian-proxies have launched 66 attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq & Syria since Oct 17th. The most recent attack at al-Asad airbase involved two close-range ballistic missiles, used for the first time since Oct. 17th. The U.S. responded with the AC-130 retaliatory strike pic.twitter.com/7hFM3uGEUZ
— Liz Friden (@Liz_Friden) November 21, 2023
In fact, Iran’s military marionettes have slammed U.S. posts 10 more times within just seven days of Biden’s latest bonanza — on average, 1.43 raids per day. At this rate, if Iran successfully tests an atomic device and becomes Earth’s 10th nuclear nation, Biden might wire the mullahs a $25 billion high-five bonus.
This seems decreasingly outlandish. Reuters reported Friday that “Iran now has enough uranium enriched up to 60% purity — close to weapons-grade and a level Western powers say has no civilian use — to make three bombs.”
As if it had something to hide, Iran resists oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“This week’s IAEA reports showed Iran was making steady nuclear progress and indicated that Tehran continued to stonewall the agency in monitoring its work,” Reuters noted. “Tehran’s ‘de-designation’ in September of some of the agency’s most experienced inspectors — a move that effectively bars them from working in Iran — has also exasperated the IAEA.”
The ayatollahs do not need A-bombs to wreak havoc.
“Iran sends some $700 million to Hezbollah and at least $100 million to Palestinian terrorists annually,” the Wall Street Journal estimates.
Security experts correctly recall that money is fungible. Even if Iran does not distribute these funds directly to terrorists, it could use Biden’s cash for schools, hospitals, and bridges and then shift the schools, hospitals, and bridges budgets to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The IRG then would replenish the war chests of the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas — adjacent to Israel, from the razor wire to the sea.
“In Gaza, 93 percent of Hamas’ military budget comes from Iran,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News’ Mark Levin Sunday night. “Everywhere Iran goes: misery, bloodshed, poverty.”
Even if Iran kept Biden’s gifts in a vault, the mere release of these funds is enormously provocative. Every one of the payoffs detailed in the nearby chart patted the ayatollahs’ backs: Heck of a job, boys! Keep up the great work!
Iran abuses its people, nourishes terrorists, and agitates the Middle East. It has attacked oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, assassinated its enemies overseas, and plotted to murder them on American soil.
Just last Sunday, in the Red Sea, Iranian-armed Houthi terrorists rappelled from a helicopter onto the Galaxy Leader, hijacked this freighter, and kidnapped its 25 sailors. The Houthis claim that the vessel is Israeli owned, although this is unclear. This outrage occurred just five days after Biden approved $10 billion for the Houthis’ Iranian puppet masters.
In response to all of this, Biden has sent Iran at least $87.02 billion via no fewer than seven outlays and revenue-generating policy initiatives.
Why shouldn’t Iran remain one of the biggest bullies on the global schoolyard?
The ayatollahs know that Biden, 81, learned nothing from his days as Joey in Scranton.
So, an approach that might have started decades ago with snatched lunch money now keeps billions of dollars cascading into the ayatollahs’ coffers.
Joe Biden’s Iranian pals will keep beating him silly while the other terrified school children wait 14 months for the loud, golden-haired kid to return from suspension and give the bully the only thing that will teach him some manners:
A swift punch in the nose.
Deroy Murdock is a Manhattan-based Fox News contributor.
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