US lawmaker backs move to end Israel military aid in surprise policy shift
Democratic Congressman Greg Casar has announced that he will support an amendment introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie to cancel $3.3bn in US military aid to Israel.
The proposal would also eliminate additional funding allocated to Israel through a US State Department appropriations bill.
In a post on X, Casar said American taxpayers should not continue financing weapons for the Israeli government. He accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration of committing war crimes in Gaza and claimed its actions had “helped drag America into war with Iran.”
The amendment is expected to come before Congress later this week. If passed, it would mark a significant change in long-standing Israel military aid provided by the United States. However, political observers believe the proposal could face strong opposition.
In a separate development, Iran said it has not yet entered negotiations with the United States on a final agreement, including discussions related to its nuclear programme.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said talks on a final deal can only begin after several provisions of the interim memorandum of understanding are fully implemented.
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According to Iranian officials, these conditions include ending conflict on all fronts, removing the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, withdrawing American forces from areas near Iran, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, lifting sanctions on Iranian oil exports, and releasing frozen Iranian assets.
Baghaei said Iran will not begin negotiations on a final agreement until those commitments are fulfilled.
The latest developments have placed both US military aid to Israel and Israel military aid at the center of international attention, as lawmakers debate future funding and diplomatic efforts with Iran remain stalled.
