Governor Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that he will roll out new sanctions against Iran after the country aided Hamas in their deadly surprise attack last weekend. More than 1,000 Israelis have been reportedly killed so far as the death toll continues to mount.
While speaking at a South Florida Jewish synagogue, DeSantis said he will ask lawmakers at the 2024 legislative session to expand bans on Iranian-owned businesses in the state. The Florida Governor sharply criticized the Biden administration’s appeasement of Iran just before the attack, arguing that “federal capitulation” has made Florida’s sanctions necessary.
“I was sad to see the response from the administration be, at some rate, just absolutely you just throw your hands up and you wonder what’s going on,” DeSantis said at the event.
“Immediately after the attack, they had to delete a tweet from one of the State Department bureaus that said there should be no response and then Blinken sent out a tweet calling for a cease-fire.”
“The Biden administration made a decision to loosen sanctions on Iran that caused a lot more oil money to go filling the coffers of the ayatollah and the regime,” DeSantis said, referencing the Biden administration’s decision to unfreeze around $6 billion in Iranian assets in a trade for American prisoners.
Iran has long supported terror groups, including Hamas, and celebrated the attack against Israel over the weekend.
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In Florida, we don’t capitulate to state sponsors of terrorism. We sanction them.
My legislative proposal ensures Florida will not do business with companies that support terrorist groups like Hamas.
I urge other states to follow Florida’s lead. pic.twitter.com/fAWrxCXiQi
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 10, 2023
“If Hamas and Hezbollah and any Palestinian Arab simply lay down their arms tomorrow, that would result in peace,” DeSantis added.
“If Israel laid down its arms tomorrow, that would result in the destruction of the Jewish state. We know that. And so for having the administration do anything other than a unified voice saying that Israel should be able to defend itself and that we support, that was honestly not surprising.”
The Governor also called out Biden for a lack of leadership, saying the commander-in-chief has been asleep at the wheel.
“But it’s still very, very disappointing. Now’s the time for leadership. Now’s the time for the president to be out there to be talking about how important it is that we’re unified in the fight against terrorism. They should be talking about how it’s wrong to support policies that enrich the Iranian regime.”
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Ron DeSantis slams Biden's $6 billion deal with Iran, calling it "a mistake."
"The United States should turn every screw so that Iran is not getting money flowing into its coffers." pic.twitter.com/gFtcXjjdKW
— Never Back Down (@NvrBackDown24) October 10, 2023
During the event, DeSantis also discussed steps he had taken to strengthen ties between Florida and Israel. He has made multiple trips to the country during his time as Governor.
“We did the first trade mission of my administration in 2019,” DeSantis said.
“It was the biggest trade mission in Florida history to Israel. We ended up developing great economic ties. We furthered academic ties, cultural ties, and it was a great experience for many people who went on that trip, who had never been to Israel before and we’ve made sure to build off that commitment during the time I’ve been governor.”
The Governor led another trade mission to Israel last April.
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