Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

You can paste full URL like: https://x.com/threadreaderapp/status/1644127596119195649
or just the ID like: 1644127596119195649

How to get URL link on X (Twitter) App

  1. On the Twitter thread, click on or icon on the bottom
  2. Click again on or Share Via icon
  3. Click on Copy Link to Tweet
  4. Paste it above and click "Unroll Thread"!
  5. More info at Twitter Help
Gabriel Noronha Profile picture
@GLNoronha
Oct 7 • 12 tweets • 5 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
🧵I'm sorry Jen but you are simply unfamiliar with Iranian budgeting practices and how the Iranian regime and Hamas make decisions.

1. Iran normally has to allocate its limited foreign exchange reserves for food/medicine months in advance to facilitate trade flows. Not anymore.
2. Iran can now devote $6 billion of its unrestricted funds toward financial, operational, and logistical support for terror proxies including Hamas.

And it will do so through the Central Bank of Iran, which received a sanctions waiver last month as part of the hostage deal. Image
3. According to Iranian lawmakers, they planned to use the $6 billion to backfill internal accounting debts to the Central Bank of Iran, which is sanctioned by the U.S. for their support of Iranian terrorism and support for Hamas.
iranintl.com/en/202309159160
4. According to US Treasury sanctions across administrations, Hamas receives tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars directly from Iran through the IRGC.

The $6 billion payment freed up huge reserves to ensure that Iran could continue this support.
home.treasury.gov/news/press-rel…
Image
5. Iranian and Hamas decisions about whether to embark on a war depend on their perceptions of whether they can sustain such operations.

Between the $6 billion infuse to cover future domestic needs, and the tens of billions of dollars in extra oil income, the answer was easy. Image
6. Secondly, as I've written about repeatedly, the notion this $6 billion will even go for the humanitarian needs of the Iranian people is contradicted by a stream of evidence.

Ex. In 2019, 19 Iranian trucks of medicine were confiscated as they were heading for black markets. Image
In fact, in 2020, Iran's Health Minister complained that there was “a highly complicated network” within the government responsible for systemic corruption and theft of medicine and medical goods.

They may buy medicine, but it'll go to the IRGC and Hamas.
fdd.org/analysis/2020/…
7. Congressional sources tell me the administration cannot answer basic questions about the $6 billion payment, such as whether there is any ability for end-use monitoring of the food/medicine allegedly bought.

Moreover, Iran has a long banking history of fraudulent invoicing.
8. As just one example, read this DOJ indictment against Halbank, a Turkish bank that facilitated "humanitarian" trade with Iran.

So please, don't take the administration's claims at face value. They are talking points without a grounding in truth.
justice.gov/opa/pr/turkish…
Image
In the words of Iran's President Raisi: “Humanitarian means whatever the Iranian people needs, so this money will be budgeted for those needs.”

Iran is on the 34-nation Financial Action Task Force's blacklist for lack of financial transparency.
In 2020, one senior Iranian leader confirmed they didn't want to even get off the blacklist, saying: "All [of Iran's] transactions and financial transfers are being carried out in a hidden manner..."
en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-fatf-re…
The reality is Iran knew it was going to get this $6 billion in September months ago - it added enormous stability to their currency markets and ensured they had fiscal space.

Iran trains, equips, and directs Hamas activities. The $6B was a green light to approve this operation.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Gabriel Noronha

Gabriel Noronha Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @GLNoronha

Gabriel Noronha Profile picture
Oct 8
1. An anonymous senior U.S. official (likely Brett McGurk) said it was too early to know whether Iran was involved or planning/supporting Hamas' attack against Israel.

This not only contradicts Hamas' spokesperson's on-record confirmation, it ignores 3 decades of evidence.🧵
Image
2. Yasser Arafat said in 1992 that Iran had provided $30 million to Hamas.

In 1995, Clinton's CIA Director James Woolsey told Congress Iran had provided Hamas with $100 million.
meforum.org/251/hamass-for…
3. In 2006, Iran reportedly agreed to train a massive Hamas “rapid deployment force of 6,500 men in Hezbollah combat tactics.”

Iran pledged to pick up the tab and have Hamas terrorists train at IRGC facilities across the country.
Read 11 tweets
Gabriel Noronha Profile picture
Aug 27
The Tehran Times - an Iranian state media outlet - has published a “Sensitive But Unclassified” memo to Iran Envoy Rob Malley explaining why his clearance was suspended.

The letter looks authentic to me. Indicates Malley also lied about not knowing why his clearance was pulled.
Image
Image
The fact the Iranians knew why his clearance was pulled - and that Congress did not until just now - is deeply troubling on many levels…

Congress needs to know whether Iran has access to all State Dept unclassified emails, and what is being done to fix that.
Malley sent several media outlets a statement two months after his suspension claiming he had not been told why his clearance was revoked (just one example below).

The lies just keep coming and coming.
axios.com/2023/06/29/rob…
Read 4 tweets
Gabriel Noronha Profile picture
Aug 14
THREAD: I’ve spoken with career @StateDept Iran officials about the latest hostage/nuke deal with Iran. They are very upset and tell me the admin’s public answers are misguided.

“This is 100% a ransom payment...100% this will lead to more Americans being taken hostage.” Image
2⃣ On internal views - one told me: “There is virtually zero support for this hostage deal or nuclear ‘pause’ deal among the rank-and-file diplomats who have any history working on Iran”.

A couple tell me most @StateDept_NEA bureau leadership are concerned about the Iran file.
3⃣ On whether this is a ransom payment: “Yeah, there’s no question about it, this is a ransom payment.

The payment was a pre-requisite for their release. Let’s not forget there are other Americans left behind in jail too.”
Read 18 tweets
Gabriel Noronha Profile picture
Aug 10
🧵THREAD: It has been over a year since Iranian state-owned airlines started ferrying suicide drones to Russia.

And yet in the next seven days, these same airlines will land at 12 airports in NATO countries - each flight in violation of U.S. terror and WMD sanctions. (1/7) Image
2⃣ Open-source intelligence shows 3 Iranian-owned airlines (Iran Air, Mahan Air, and Qeshm Air) have been flying regular routes to Moscow loaded with IRGC trainers and Shahed-136 drones.

These airlines and aircraft are all sanctioned by the United States - some for years now. Image
3⃣ Yet according to flight tracking data I acquired from @flightradar24, these sanctioned airlines are still flying regular routes to these major European airports.

In some cases the airplanes going to Europe are the same ones carrying missiles into Syria and drones into Russia. Image
Read 7 tweets
Gabriel Noronha Profile picture
May 18
🧵From 2020-2022, 🇮🇷 Iran held multiple 🇬🇧 British citizens hostage, plotted to kidnap/kill a dozen Brits in London, executed a British citizen, and vandalized the UK’s embassy in Tehran.

In response, the UK more than tripled their trade with Iran - from £191M to £696M. Image
These statistics come from a new release of data by the UK's Department of Business and Trade.

They show UK imports of Iranian goods increasing by 18% in 2022 - while Iran was slaughtering protesters and giving suicide drones to Russia for their invasion of Ukraine. Image
Meanwhile, the UK permits a branch of Bank Melli to operate in the Kensington neighborhood of London.

Bank Melli has been sanctioned by the U.S. for enabling the flow of billions of dollars to the IRGC and other terror groups that have killed dozens of British citizens. Image
Read 7 tweets
Gabriel Noronha Profile picture
Apr 27
NEW: 6 Dem and 6 GOP Senators wrote to Biden asking why his administration is not funding the DHS program that seizes illegal Iranian oil and gas shipments.

That program had seized nearly $228M in oil linked to the IRGC since 2019. Treasury cut off funds to the program in FY22. ImageImageImage
75% of the proceeds from those seized oil shipments used to go to victims of Iran's terrorism.

Now that we're not seizing Iran's oil, the #IRGCterrorists have even more money to support terrorism across the world. Image
It's really unacceptable that this important initiative is being sidelined.

Fortunately, this is a bipartisan concern. Thanks to @SenJoniErnst & @SenBlumenthal for leading this important oversight effort.
Read 4 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Send Email!

:(