Rep. Mike Turner: Biden ‘Signaling’ Hostage Deal Part of ‘Informal’ Nuclear Deal, Warns of ‘Secret’ Agreement

The Biden administration is “signaling” its recent agreement with Tehran is part of a “broader deal concerning Iran’s enrichment program,” according to House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-OH) who expressed “great concern” over a possible “secret deal” along with its lack of oversight.

Speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, Turner noted that a real “concern” over the recent deal is that “we haven’t really been briefed” on it. 

“At this point, we have not received the terms of the deal, or even what the proposed deal is,” he stated.

Days ago, President Biden reached an agreement with Iran to free multiple U.S. citizens who were imprisoned by the regime. I told @MargBrennan on @FaceTheNation that Congress should be concerned if the administration made secret concessions to Iran related to its nuclear program. pic.twitter.com/GvZbFbixJu

— US Rep. Mike Turner (@RepMikeTurner) August 13, 2023

The Republican representative explained that, by doing so, President Joe Biden has “signaled” his intention to engage in an “informal” Iran deal lacking necessary oversight.

“The administration has signaled that the release of these detainees is part of a broader negotiation with respect to reinstating some controls on the nuclear weapons and enrichment programs of Iran, dating back to the JCPOA. And the concern is that — the New York Times has reported — the administration may be pursuing an informal deal as opposed to the formal deal that we had before that had congressional oversight,” he stated.

Though the Biden administration should “work diligently to bring Americans home, whether in Iran, Russia or elsewhere,” Turner insisted this was different.

“But in this instance, the administration is signaling this is part of a broader deal concerning Iran’s enrichment program,” he stated. “And if that becomes a secret deal — that is obviously very concerning to congress.”

Asked about reported steps taken by Iran to curb some of its nuclear development, the congressman argued there are no “real reports of anything being reduced.” 

“They are currently at 60 percent of enrichment,” he stated. “Prior they were at 3.5 percent under the JCPOA; they are at 60 percent 1692144123. They had one year ‘breakout’ getting to the enrichment level that could result in [them getting] a weapon — they are now weeks away.” 

According to Turner, “Freezing them now, where, before in the JCPOA agreement, they actually surrounded some of their enrichment that they had that was over the levels that were sought — in this, if we just have a deal that freezes where Iran is and really, without the understanding of all aspects of their program because they have thrown out all the U.N. inspectors from the IAEA; they’d removed the cameras from the sites; we really don’t have fidelity of understanding of where they are or what they are doing at this point.”

The comments come days after Republican officials blasted the Biden administration for “bowing to the Ayatollah” and “endangering” Americans, after it struck a deal with the Iranian regime to transfer five Iranian-Americans from prison to house arrest in exchange for billions in unfrozen assets.

Biden is shamefully caving to Iran’s blackmail and extortion. Rewarding Iran for taking Americans hostage incentivizes more hostage-taking.

The $6 billion ransom payment will help Iran build nuclear weapons, support terrorism, oppress the Iranian people, and assist Russia.…

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 10, 2023

On Thursday, the Biden administration’s deal with Tehran to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian financial assets and release a “handful” of Iranian nationals jailed for violating U.S. sanctions in exchange for five Americans taken prisoner by Iran on highly dubious charges of espionage, came to light. 

“Iran’s frozen funds in South Korea will be unblocked and transferred to Qatar,” the Iranian mission to the United Nations stated, apparently referring to the $6 billion sum.

U.S. sources who spoke to the far-left New York Times publication and Reuters confirmed the financial aspects of the deal.

Israeli officials said the exchange agreement is part of broader agreements between the Islamic Republic and the U.S., “who have been working toward an informal arrangement” to constrain Tehran’s nuclear program, according to a Times of Israel report.

Last month, Breitbart News highlighted reports that President Biden has already reached an “unwritten” nuclear deal with Iran, under which the regime will stop just short of developing a nuclear weapon.

The recent deal follows massive protests that have swept Iran following the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the Islamic theocracy’s notorious “morality police” for violating strict requirements for women to keep their heads covered in public.

A protester holds a portrait of Iranian Mahsa Amini during a demonstration by Iranians living in Greece in central Athens on September 24, 2022. (LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP)

Since then, a slew of incidents involving abuses and even deaths at the hands of the regime have been documented amid an ongoing clampdown on protests, with clips circulating showing Iranian regime officers brutally assaulting protesters.

Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism worldwide, has long viewed the United States as a principal antagonist and has frequently accused the U.S. of inciting protesters in a bid to “destabilize” the region.

Previously, Iranian Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier-General Abolfazl Shekarchi affirmed that America is the Iranian republic’s top enemy, while the Islamic Republic’s “supreme leader” has boasted of having “defeated” the United States, as he assured a crowd of supporters that their “Death to America!” chant would yet be fulfilled as a “new order” would relegate the U.S. to isolation.

Last week, reports revealed that Tehran might be nearing the testing phase of a nuclear weapon and has pursued unauthorized technology for its ongoing atomic weapons initiative.