US and Qatari officials have reached an agreement to temporarily block Iran’s access to $6 billion in recently unfrozen oil revenues held in Doha. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo briefed House Democrats on the situation, revealing a “quiet understanding” following the massacre of at least 1,300 people in southern Israel, reportedly carried out by Tehran-backed Hamas.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) posted on X that she wants a “formal agreement” between the US and Qatar instead of a “leak to the media.”
Biden knows the $6 billion transfer served as a catalyst for the Iran-backed terrorist attacks.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) October 12, 2023
We need a formal agreement to freeze the funds — not a leak to the media.
Biden should follow the lead of myself and my colleagues who called on the admin to freeze the payment. https://t.co/vDtZIYrrvB
The funds, originally held in South Korean banks before being transferred to Qatar, were made accessible as part of a prisoner swap deal between the Biden administration and Iran
Secretary of State Antony Blinken claims that the Treasury Department closely monitors the $6 billion and restricts its use to humanitarian purposes. Blinken stated, “None of the funds that have now gone to Qatar have actually been spent or accessed in any way by Iran.
When questioned about the agreement, top White House officials avoided providing direct answers, with National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stating, “I’m not going to talk about diplomatic conversations one way or another.”
The Biden administration authorized the unfreezing of the $6 billion as part of the prisoner exchange, which resulted in the release of five Iranians in exchange for five American detainees held in Iran.