Secretary of State John Kerry, following up on the deal he negotiated with Iran that is lifting sanctions on the rogue Islamic regime and turning over billions of dollars frozen because of its pursuit of nuclear weapons, now is lobbying for more business for the Middle East nation.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Kerry, just ahead of meetings this week in London with European bankers, said European businesses shouldn't boycott Iran just because the U.S. still has some sanctions looming.
The report said the effort was part of work by the Obama administration to "help integrate Iran into the global economic system."
Iran, however, is working toward a more direct method of getting a shot in its funding: A court case against the United States to take back some $2 billion "the U.S. Supreme Court has ordered be paid as compensation to American victims of terror attacks."
A report from Agence France-Presse said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani outlined the plan.
"We will soon take the case of the $2 billion to the international court," he said. "We will not allow the United States to swallow this money so easily."
What's next? Find out in "Showdown with Nuclear Iran."
The Supreme Court had ruled last month that Iran must relinquish claims to nearly $2 billion in frozen assets to recompense the survivors and relatives of those killed in attacks it is thought to have organized.
About 1,000 Americans are affected, the report said, over attacks such as the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, and the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said he'll look at the fight if both sides ask him to do that.
Kerry, meanwhile, is following up on last year's decision by six world powers to terminate international sanctions.
In return, Iranian officials were supposed to have curbs on their nuclear program. U.S. sanctions, meanwhile, were not all being lifted.
Iran repeatedly has claimed that it wants to get its benefits faster.
Kerry, meanwhile, took on the persona of an Iranian promoter, telling Europeans the U.S. sometimes is used as an excuse by business leaders who think the U.S. would "frown on deals with Iran."
"If they don't see a good business deal, they shouldn't say, 'Oh, we can't do it because of the United States.' That's just not fair. That's not accurate," Kerry said, the WSJ reported.
Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, had "pressed" Kerry to do more to help its economy earlier.
Kerry said, "Iran has a right to the benefits of the agreement they signed up to and if people, by confusion or misinterpretation or in some cases disinformation, are being misled, it's appropriate for us to try to clarify that."
The Journal reported Iran also is dealing with the negative evaluation of the Financial Action Task Force, which battles money laundering and terror financing, because earlier this year it found Iran to be "a serious threat to the integrity of the global financial system."'
Just weeks ago, Kerry conceded that some of the money being returned to Iran as the sanctions are lifted "likely" will go to terrorism.
"I think that some of it will end up in the hands of the IRGC or other entities, some of which are labeled terrorists," he said in an interview with CNBC, referring to the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps.
And WND reported last year that Kerry testified on Capitol Hill the U.S. government will not be revealing to the American people the contents of "secret side deals" made with Iran on its nuclear enrichment program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, a unit of the United Nations, has negotiated two side deals with Iran involving critical data collection processes.
Astonishingly, Kerry himself said Wednesday that he has not read the agreements but has been "briefed" on their contents.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wanted to know why these deals can't be made public.
"Why can't we confirm or deny the content of these agreements in public?" Cotton asked in a Senate hearing. "Why is this classified? It's not a sensitive U.S. government document. The Ayatollahs know what they agreed to."
"Because we respect the process of the IAEA and we don't have their authorization to reveal what is a confidential agreement between them and another country," said Kerry.
Cotton said, "So the ayatollahs will know what they agreed to but not the American people?"
Watch the testy exchange between Sen. Cotton and Secretary of State Kerry:
What's next? Find out in "Showdown with Nuclear Iran."
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