US, Qatar to stop Iran from accessing $6B from prisoner swap
- Some Republicans blamed the release of the funds for the Hamas attack
- The Biden administration previously defended the deal
- Iran has a long history of supporting Hamas
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(NewsNation) — A source confirmed to NewsNation that the U.S. and Qatar have agreed to stop Iran from accessing $6 billion in funds unfrozen as part of a prisoner swap in September after some Republicans laid blame for the attack at Biden’s feet and urged him to freeze the funds.
President Joe Biden promised to unfreeze the funds as part of a prisoner swap that included the release of five Americans detained in Iran. In the wake of Israel’s declaration of war, Republicans have suggested the deal is responsible for the attack, referring to it as U.S. tax dollars funding the attack.
The U.S. has not officially linked Iran to planning for the recent attack, but the country has a history of supporting Hamas along with other proxy groups including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
Iran and Hamas
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has historically received money, weapons and training from Iran as part of the ongoing proxy war between Iran and Israel.
Although U.S. officials have remained neutral on Iran’s involvement in Saturday’s assault, many intelligence experts have said the sophistication of the attack suggests outside involvement. Hamas attacked with rockets and drones, as well as conducting a ground assault. The group attacked Israeli communications and broke through the blockade using a variety of methods including paragliders and bulldozers.
Hamas leaders told the Wall Street Journal Iran supported the attack, although Iran itself has denied direct involvement. However, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi did congratulate Hamas on their victory in the attack, which was the deadliest assault on Israel in decades.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also denied Iranian involvement, while also warning of retaliation if Israel continues to attack Palestinians and hailing the attack on what it calls the “Zionist regime” of Israel.
While the U.S. has not produced any evidence linking the attack to Tehran, officials have said Iran is broadly complicit in the violence. The Biden administration has also been working with allies in the region in an effort to prevent the conflict from erupting into a broader regional fight.
The $6 Billion Deal
In the U.S., Republicans have laid blame for the attack at the Biden administration’s feet, pointing to the prisoner swap deal and saying Iran used U.S. tax money to fund Hamas in the attack.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called for Florida to issue additional sanctions against Iran, calling for legislation to ban state and local governments from contracting with Iranian businesses.
Former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social demanding Biden re-freeze the assets and directly blaming Biden for the war.
Democrats had previously defended the deal, noting that the money was Iran’s to begin with, profits from the results of oil sales to South Korea. The sales were legal at the time they took place.
The Biden administration also noted that the money remains frozen in a bank in Qatar. Due to U.S. sanctions, the money is only allowed to be used for humanitarian purposes and any spending would be supervised by Qatar’s central bank.
White House spokesperson John Kirby told NewsNation the Iranian regime will never get to touch the money, which would be allocated directly to vendors delivering humanitarian relief.
“None of that money has been allocated, none of not a single DNR has left the country bank to go into Iran,” he said. “It is also important to remember that even if it had happened, even if we had allocated some of that money, the regime never gets to touch it.”