Sanctions imposed on Iran for violations of the nuclear deal should be used to pay damages to American victims of Iranian-sponsored terror, Daniel Miller, a survivor of a 1997 terror attack in Jerusalem, wrote in an op-ed published Friday in The Orlando Sentinel.

According to a prepared testimony (.pdf) that Miller presented at a Senate subcommittee hearing two weeks ago, he and other victims of Iranian-backed terror won a default judgment of over $300 million against the Islamic Republic in 2003. However, they have been unable to collect reparations from the regime as there are only a few attachable Iranian assets in the U.S., and when such assets became available, the federal government invariably intervened on behalf of Tehran.

Given the difficulty in collecting the damages, as well as Iran’s behavior since it signed the nuclear deal with the P5+1 powers, Miller called on Congress to pass a law that would penalize Tehran for any violations of the nuclear agreement by allowing American victims of Iranian terror to receive their just compensation.

Like all lawsuits initiated against Iran by victims of terror, we faced an uphill battle. We expected a battle from Iran. What we did not expect was betrayal from our own government. There have been many examples of that betrayal, but the most egregious was the recent Iran nuclear deal. I was deeply shocked and horrified to learn that the terms of this deal include unfreezing more than $100 billion in Iranian oil revenues and handing it over to the party responsible for devastating the lives of so many. …

Earlier this month, in direct violation of U.N. resolutions — and with the ink on the nuclear deal barely dry — Iran test-fired its latest intercontinental ballistic missile, the sole purpose of which is to deliver a nuclear weapon.

This historical injustice must be undone. Congress should immediately pass a law that “when” Iran violates the nuclear deal, the sanctions that will be levied should create a fund that would compensate the victims of terror. I urge the U.S. Senate to create bipartisan legislation outlining this plan.

In a similar vein, Rep. Pat Meehan (R-Pa.), introduced legislation in September mandating that Iran would have to pay its judgments to terror victims before it receives any sanctions relief.

A video of Miller’s testimony at the subcommittee hearing is embedded below.

[Photo: SenTedCruz / YouTube ]