- October 13, 2023
US, Qatar block recently unfrozen Iran funds worth $6 billion under prisoner swap: Report – Times of India
NEW DELHI: The United States and Qatar have agreed to block Iran’s access to 6 billion dollars in funds recently transferred to the nation as part of a deal between Washington and Tehran that led to the release of five imprisoned Americans from Iran last month, reported New York Times.
According to NYT, Wally Adeyemo, the deputy Treasury secretary, told House Democrats on Thursday that Iran would no longer have access to the funds, according to a person familiar with the matter. The money was under close supervision and strict conditions that it be used only for humanitarian purposes.
A few days ago, former US president Donald Trump and other Republican contenders accused President Joe Biden of fanning the flames by unfreezing Iranian assets worth over 6 billion dollars.
Launching a scathing attack at Biden, Trump raked up the funds released to Iran — a staunch rival of Israel — by the US administration. “American taxpayer dollars helped fund these attacks,” said Trump, according to news agency AP.
He further argued that, under Biden, the US is “perceived as being weak and ineffective on the global stage, opening the door to hostility”. “They didn’t have that level of aggression with me. They didn’t have it. This would have never happened with me,” Trump claimed, adding that Biden had “betrayed Israel” with the deal.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis accused Biden of “policies that have gone easy on Iran” and have “helped to fill their coffers. Israel is now paying the price for those policies. We’re going to stand with the State of Israel, they need to root out Hamas and we need to stand up to Iran.”
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott alleged the 6 billion dollars were not just an invitation to aggression but the US actually “paid for it”.
“The Biden 6 billion dollars ransom payment at work. We didn’t just invite this aggression, we paid for it,” Scott was quoted as saying by AP.
It was a deal wherein Iran in September agreed to release five US citizens in exchange for around 6 billion dollars in Iranian assets being held in South Korea.
Later, going by the prisoner swap conditions, the US issued a sanctions waiver for banks to transfer 6 billion of frozen Iranian funds from South Korea to Qatar’s Doha, as was demanded by Tehran.
However, in response to the Republican attacks, the Biden administration had issued a clarification, saying that the sum was never a part of US taxpayer money, but rather payments made by South Korea to Iran to buy oil in recent years.
The officials stressed that funds had been stuck in South Korea due to US sanctions, adding that money is now held in a restricted account in Doha.
According to NYT, Wally Adeyemo, the deputy Treasury secretary, told House Democrats on Thursday that Iran would no longer have access to the funds, according to a person familiar with the matter. The money was under close supervision and strict conditions that it be used only for humanitarian purposes.
A few days ago, former US president Donald Trump and other Republican contenders accused President Joe Biden of fanning the flames by unfreezing Iranian assets worth over 6 billion dollars.
Launching a scathing attack at Biden, Trump raked up the funds released to Iran — a staunch rival of Israel — by the US administration. “American taxpayer dollars helped fund these attacks,” said Trump, according to news agency AP.
He further argued that, under Biden, the US is “perceived as being weak and ineffective on the global stage, opening the door to hostility”. “They didn’t have that level of aggression with me. They didn’t have it. This would have never happened with me,” Trump claimed, adding that Biden had “betrayed Israel” with the deal.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis accused Biden of “policies that have gone easy on Iran” and have “helped to fill their coffers. Israel is now paying the price for those policies. We’re going to stand with the State of Israel, they need to root out Hamas and we need to stand up to Iran.”
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott alleged the 6 billion dollars were not just an invitation to aggression but the US actually “paid for it”.
“The Biden 6 billion dollars ransom payment at work. We didn’t just invite this aggression, we paid for it,” Scott was quoted as saying by AP.
It was a deal wherein Iran in September agreed to release five US citizens in exchange for around 6 billion dollars in Iranian assets being held in South Korea.
Later, going by the prisoner swap conditions, the US issued a sanctions waiver for banks to transfer 6 billion of frozen Iranian funds from South Korea to Qatar’s Doha, as was demanded by Tehran.
However, in response to the Republican attacks, the Biden administration had issued a clarification, saying that the sum was never a part of US taxpayer money, but rather payments made by South Korea to Iran to buy oil in recent years.
The officials stressed that funds had been stuck in South Korea due to US sanctions, adding that money is now held in a restricted account in Doha.
