The Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, said on April 14 that he opposes any effort to give Iran access to the U.S. dollar.
Citing concerns about what Tehran would do with any financial access it gains as a result of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, Ryan told reporters in Washington that he "adamantly opposes any steps" that U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration "may take to give Iran access to the dollar"
Ryan faulted Obama's foreign policy on dealing with Iran and Syria, and said U.S. allies – including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Germany -- want to know if the United States is "still in the game."
A senior official in Obama's administration has previously said that Iran is not gaining access to the U.S. financial system as a result of the nuclear deal it reached with world powers in 2015.
Ryan also said he understands why U.S. allies in the Middle East are wary about provocative comments about Muslims by Donald Trump, the frontrunner to become the Republican Party’s candidate for the U.S. presidency.