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Al-Monitor — The US and Qatari governments have reportedly agreed to prevent Iran from accessing the $6 billion in oil revenue unfrozen as part of its deal to swap prisoners with the United States last month, multiple news outlets said Thursday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not confirm the reports but said none of the funds “have actually been spent or accessed in any way by Iran.”
“We have strict oversight over the funds, and we retain the right to freeze them,” Blinken told reporters in Israel on Thursday.
His comments came after Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo reportedly told House Democrats that Washington and Doha had agreed to block Iran’s access to the $6 billion recently unlocked for the Iranian government to spend on humanitarian goods such as food and medicine. According to The Washington Post, Adeyemo told lawmakers the money “isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”
The funds were frozen in South Korea under US sanctions before they were transferred to Qatar as part of the deal to release five detained Americans last month. At the time, critics of the financial arrangement said it would free up Iran’s domestic budget to be used for funding terrorism across the Middle East and building up its nuclear program.
In recent days, the Biden administration has faced growing pressure from Republicans and some Democrats, including Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), to punish Iran over the deadly assault on Israel carried out by its proxy, Hamas. On Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced legislation to immediately freeze the $6 billion.
US officials say Iran is broadly complicit in Hamas’ attack on Israel due to the significant financial and material support it provides the Palestinian militant group, but they do not have evidence suggesting Tehran played a direct role in the planning.
Iran’s leaders have hailed the Hamas attack on Israel but denied involvement, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praising on Tuesday what he called Israel’s “irreparable” military and intelligence defeat.
Responding to reports that the US Treasury was blocking Iran’s access to the funds, a spokesperson for Iran’s mission to the United Nations said the “US government knows that it can NOT renege on the agreement.”
“The money rightfully belongs to the people of Iran, earmarked for the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to facilitate the acquisition of all essential requisites for the Iranians,” the mission said in a statement.
Blinken spoke to reporters from Israel, where he arrived Thursday in a show of support as the Israeli military targets the Gaza Strip with retaliatory airstrikes and prepares for a ground invasion of the Hamas-run coastal territory.
The death toll from Hamas’ assault and Israel’s response climbed to more than 1,300 Israelis and 1,400 Palestinians, according to officials on both sides. At least 27 Americans are among the dead.
On Friday, Blinken will meet with Jordanian King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jordan. From there, the State Department said Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar, with a focus on preventing the conflict from spreading, securing the release of hostages and ensuring the protection of civilians.
