The US and Qatari governments have agreed to block Iran from accessing any of the $6 billion it received as part of a prisoner swap deal between the Biden administration and Tehran last month.
According to multiple sources familiar with the development, who told Punchbowl News on the condition of anonymity, the assurance was made by Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo to House Democrats on Thursday (October 12).
Two of the sources said Adeyemo did not give any timeframe for how long the US and Qatar agreed to block Iran's access to the money.
Talking About Money
The decision between Washington and Doha came as the administration faced bipartisan pressure to block Iran's access to the money as US officials continue to investigate whether Iran was involved in Hamas's deadly terror attack on Israel on October 7.
The Biden administration maintained that the $6 billion unfrozen Iranian assets could only be used by Iran for humanitarian assistance.
NBC News reported that the money was transferred last month from a South Korean bank to a bank in Qatar. Iran could only access the money through a series of steps, including oversight by the Treasury Department, administration officials stated.
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White House Officials Say Money Given to Iran Not Yet Spent
Officials from the White House insisted over the past several days that Iran has not accessed any of the money, and that the US could re-freest it at any time.
However, there was growing pressure on the White House to send a clearer message that Iran would not access the money other than what it was intended for, as some feared that any money given to Iran, regardless of whether it was for humanitarian assistance, would probably be to fund terrorism.
On the other hand, it was unclear how halting Iran's access to the $6 billion might affect the administration's efforts to negotiate future deals for the release of other wrongfully detained Americans.
