McConnell Urging US, Allies to Impose New Sanctions Against Iran

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) talks to reporters following the Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Oct. 4, 2023. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is urging the Biden administration, and U.S. allies and partners to order new sanctions against Iran.

Allegations and speculation that the Iranian Islamic regime is involved in the surprise Oct. 7 attack by Hamas against Israel have been rife since the Islamist militant group, a recognized terrorist organization, launched its assaults on Israel.

In a press release from the same day, Mr. McConnell alleged that Iran had trained and equipped Hamas, and called for consequences for those who “conduct or support such terror.”

In a follow-up Oct. 8 Wall Street Journal op-ed, Mr. McConnell outlined the steps he thinks should be taken by the United States and its allies against Iran for its alleged involvement, starting with the West reimposing extensive multilateral sanctions on the country.

Iran has faced ongoing and repeated sanctions by many different countries for decades. Until Russia’s Ukraine invasion in 2022, it was the most sanctioned country in the world.

“The world has again seen the face of evil. Those blessed to live in the democratic West must understand that this barbarism, like that in Russia’s war against Ukraine, threatens all of us,” Mr. McConnell said.

“The civilized world must impose real costs on terrorists and those who support or condone them,” he added.

Specifically, Mr. McConnell is calling for Iranian planes to be denied access to flight paths over the United States and its allies, while also impounding the shipping vessels that Iran uses to circumvent sanctions that are already in place.

“Close Iranian banks with access to the West, and cease the Iranian operations of European businesses,” Mr. McConnell said. “Treat Iranian officials like pariahs and sink Iranian naval boats that threaten international shipping.”

Israeli fire brigade teams douse the blaze in a parking lot outside a residential building following a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, on Oct. 7, 2023. Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images

At this stage, the level of Iran’s involvement in Hamas’s attack on Israel is yet to be officially confirmed.

There is no shortage of allegations though, and some Iranian officials have flat out denied all of them.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanani, has rejected allegations of his country’s involvement when speaking to reporters, claiming the accusations are based on “political reasons.”

He further claimed Iran does not intervene in the decision-making of other countries, “including Palestine.”

Iran has frequently accused Israeli forces of oppressing the Palestinian people, which it conflates with extremist militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, and tensions often run high.

No Shortage of Allegations Iran Involved in Attack on Israel

Hamas representatives, themselves, have made contradicting statements about the extent of Iran’s involvement with Saturday’s attack. Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad told the BBC that the group had direct backing for the attack from Iran, while senior Hamas leader Ali Barakeh told The Associated Press that while Iran played no role in the attack, it stands ready, alongside Hezbollah, to “join the battle” if Israel retaliates forcefully.

In the Western world, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, said in an Oct. 8 interview with CTV’s “Question Period,” there was no question in his mind that Iran was involved. “That’s very clear to me.”

U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer had a different and more reserved take on the matter.

In an Oct. 8 interview with CBS, he claimed that Iran is “broadly complicit” in the attack on Israel, after providing training and supplies to Hamas in the past.

However, he did stress it’s yet to be confirmed whether Iran had any direct involvement in the recent assault on Israel.

The head of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson’s Unit, Brigadier General Daniel Hagari, has also said his country has no direct evidence confirming a direct link between Iran and the Oct. 7 Hamas’s attack just yet.

Israeli security forces take part in a search operation for Hamas militants near the southern city of Ashkelon, Israel, on Oct. 8, 2023. Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images

He classed Iran as a “major player,” but has said, “We can’t yet say if it was involved in the planning or training.”

Aside from the sanctions, Mr. McConnell believes there are other practical steps the United States, and its allies and partners worldwide must take to help Israel defend and protect itself against such attacks.

Mr. McConnell says it’s crucial to stay away from neutral language, such as urging “both sides” to de-escalate the situation.

He believes a clear distinction between the aggressor and the victim in this war needs to be made immediately.

“There can be no calls for ‘both sides’ to de-escalate. Israel deserves the time and space to defend itself,” he said.

McConnell Calls for More Support for Israel

The United States has already announced the deployment of a carrier strike group, led by the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford, to the Eastern Mediterranean as well as munitions transfers to Israel. 

Mr. McConnell concedes these are reasonable first steps; however, he wants to quickly provide the specific capabilities and intelligence support Israel needs to target and destroy Hamas, whom he described as “savages.”

Hamas, recognised as a terrorist organization by the United States and other nations, is one of the two major factions in highly-charged Palestinian politics, and has long been trying to claim land from the state of Israel, which it says rightfully belongs to Palestine. The other major Palestinian faction, the Fatah, was pushed out of the Gaza strip in a civil war with Hamas in 2007.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, one of the world's largest aircraft carriers, arrives in Halifax, Canada, on Oct. 28, 2022. Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press via AP

“As we have seen in Ukraine, failure to act decisively can prolong the conflict and compound the costs of war,” Mr. McConnell said.

It’s become clear that a critical factor in the success of the assault by Hamas has been the failure of intelligence agencies to uncover and prevent the planned attack.

Israeli intelligence and security services were blindsided by the multi-pronged assault, which used bulldozers, hang gliders, motorbikes, 3,500 rockets and at least 1,000 fighters to assault Israel from the air, sea, and land.

Mr. McConnell also believes the United States needs to prioritize “national defense” and cease any further budget cuts for defense spending.

“This should include significant replenishment funding, which allows us to expand and modernize our own weapons inventories,” he said.

“It should also include investments to expand our ability to produce critical munitions, long-range fires, and other essential defense technologies here in America,” Mr. McConnell added.

In his view, this is the best path forward so the United States will be in the greatest possible position to assist partners like Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan against acts of aggression from terrorists and other non-democratic countries.