UNITED STATES: A number of Republican presidential contenders criticised the Biden administration for dragging the Iran-US prisnoer swap deal into the current war between Israel and Hamas.
The Biden administration refuted claims that a prisoner swap with Iran incited the terrorist attack on Israel. Republicans linked the surprise attack to the $6 billion in funds unfrozen as part of the September prisoner swap between the US and Iran.
The agreement to repatriate American people from Iran has nothing to do with the attack on Israel, and no money has been spent, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Iran and the Biden administration reached a high-stakes agreement, transferring $6 billion in Iranian oil assets to South Korea in exchange for the release of five Americans who were unjustly imprisoned in Iran. Before Trump’s sanctions in 2019, South Korea owed Iran for the oil it bought.
The US Treasury’s senior sanctions official, Brian Nelson, added that funds are still held in Qatar in restricted accounts. The Biden administration said that it aims to use these funds to finance Iran’s procurement of humanitarian supplies like food and medicine.
However, Iran’s president has stated that he will decide how to use the frozen cash.
The National Security Council’s John Kirby stated that the money transferred to Qatar would be subject to more legal restrictions than those in South Korea.
Republicans have attacked the Biden administration for providing the funding, arguing that doing so allowed Iran to have more resources to support the assault. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is running for president, suggested that while certain funds cannot be used, others may become available.
Similar remarks were made by Vivek Ramaswamy during his 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Former President Donald Trump expressed concern about Iran using their wealth to fuel unrest in Israel.
Iran supports and arms Hamas, an Islamist militant organization controling the Gaza Strip, which has been labeled a terrorist group by the US.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Iran and Hamas have a long relationship. He said that “Hamas wouldn’t be Hamas without the support it’s had for many years from Iran” and there is no evidence that Iran was directly involved in the attack’s preparation or execution.
A 2021 State Department report shows Iran gives up to $100 million annually to Hamas and other terrorist organizations.
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