On the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attacks that leveled the World Trade Center and killed nearly 3,000 Americans, the Biden administration thought it would be a good time to finalize a prisoner-swap trade with Iran — a country with a history of harboring terrorist organizations.

The trade is particularly favorable to the Middle Eastern country. Not only will the Biden administration be returning five Iranian detainees in return for five American citizens currently held in Iran, but it will also be releasing $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds. (READ MORE: The Gathering Middle Eastern Storm: Israel’s Dilemma — Part Four)

The funds, which are currently frozen en route from South Korea to Qatar, will be released via a waiver from the Biden administration that will allow international banks to complete transferring the funds without its being impacted by U.S. sanctions.

Under Fire From Republicans

Since the announcement of the trade, the Biden administration has come under fire from Republicans claiming that the whole deal is rather fishy, indirectly funds terrorism, and potentially indicates the existence of a deal between the administration and Iran that is being kept secret in order to undermine Congress.

Former President Donald Trump criticized the deal on Truth Social, stating that his administration had also conducted prisoner swaps without paying a single penny. He called on Republicans to invoke the 25th Amendment and declare Biden incompetent and unfit for office. (READ MORE: The Gathering Middle Eastern Storm: Iran’s Nuclear Program — Part Three)

Other Republicans have pointed out that the deal effectively funds terrorism — albeit indirectly. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) criticized the administration on X, saying, “It’s ridiculous for US to be blackmailed into spying $6B for hostages which will help indirectly finances the number 1 foreign policy of Iran terrorism.”

It’s ridiculous for US to be blackmailed into paying $6B for hostages which will help indirectly finance the number 1 foreign policy of Iran: terrorism Last time it was $1.7B traded for hostages next time it will probably be $10B the price keeps going up & up

— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) September 11, 2023

Evidence of a Secret Iran Nuclear Deal?

Perhaps most concerningly, Monday’s hostage trade seems to fit a Biden administration pattern of making deals with favorable outcomes for Iran — despite its terrorist connections. Some senators have expressed concern in the past that the administration is secretly attempting to renegotiate a version of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran that was part of the Obama administration’s foreign policy.

This is a deal the Biden administration has wanted to make for a while. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told Jewish Insider: “They [the Biden administration] want a deal so bad they can taste it. They’ll crawl through glass for it. It’s unseemly.” (READ MORE: Increasingly, Democrats Begin to Fear the Suck)

In August, 26 senators sent a letter to President Joe Biden, stating that they were “worried that [the Biden] administration is attempting to sidestep Congress and pursue other pathways to financially compensate Iran in an attempt to renegotiate a successor to the ill-fated 2015 nuclear deal. Any agreement with the Iranian regime that entails financial reward for malign behavior is wholly unacceptable.”

Lahav Harkov, a diplomatic correspondent at the Jerusalem Post, has noted that, according to laws currently in place, any deal struck with Iran has to be reviewed by Congress every 30 days. By keeping it secret, Biden circumvents congressional oversight.

For Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Monday’s agreement essentially confirms the presence of a secret nuclear deal.

“President Biden has established a secret nuclear deal with the Iranian regime that is being kept from Congress and the American people. Today’s news confirms that there has already been a side deal…. These are only the barest outlines of the staggering concessions that Biden has already made and intends to make to the Ayatollah,” Cruz said in a statement Monday.

Back in June, the White House denied that there had been any progress on a new nuclear deal with Iran, one that would likely be incredibly unpopular among Americans.

Then again, it doesn’t seem as though Biden is committed to winning the popularity contest on this one. If he were, it seems rather counterproductive to announce an agreement for a prisoner swap that is so favorable to a country harboring terrorists on the anniversary of the most egregious and deadly terrorist attack in American history.