Biden Administration Assures US-Qatar Informally Agreeing On Blocking Iran's Access To $6B Hostage Deal Amid Hamas-Israel Crisis

The Biden administration is promising Democrats in Congress that a $6 billion account in Qatar, belonging to Iran, will remain inaccessible.

An Axios report cited Punchbowl News which informed that Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo conveyed to House Democrats that there’s an informal agreement between the U.S. and Qatar to refrain from moving the funds.

The $6 billion in question is part of Iran’s oil revenue released last month as part of a hostage swap deal.

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Republicans have criticized President Joe Biden’s decision, suggesting it indirectly supports Hamas, the Iran-backed group responsible for recent attacks in Israel. Some Democrats have also called for measures to prevent the funds from being spent by Tehran.

The Biden administration asserts that none of the transferred funds moved from a South Korean account to a Qatari one, have been used. 

“I’m telling you, nothing’s been accessed and we have oversight,” said White House spokesperson John Kirby.

Similarly, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that none of the funds transferred to Qatar have been spent or accessed by Iran.

However, Ali Karimi Magham, spokesperson for Iran’s UN mission in New York, countered on social media, stating that the U.S. government cannot renege on the agreement and that the money rightfully belongs to the Iranian people.

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