Following Hamas’ bloody attack on Israel on Saturday the United States and Qatar have reached a “quiet understanding” not to allow Iran to access any of the $6 Billion Iranian funds that were transferred to Qatari accounts last month as part of a deal to free Americans detained in Iran for now.
Wally Adeyemo, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo stated this whilst speaking to House Democrats on Thursday.
Adeyemo conveyed to lawmakers in that meeting that those funds would not be touched anytime soon, the funds were moved to Qatari accounts as part of a broad deal to secure the release of five Americans whom the US deemed had been wrongfully detained in Iran.
There were bipartisan calls to freeze the funds in the wake of the deadly Hamas attacks in Israel this weekend.
Administration officials have said there is no direct evidence of Iran having a direct link to the attack but that Tehran is broadly complicit given their historic support for the terrorist group.
Still, the “quiet understanding” not to move the money right now appears to be largely symbolic, given the strict restrictions that were already tied to the funds.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a news conference in Tel Avin on Thursday said that none of the funds have “been spent or accessed in any way by Iran”.
Although Blinken did not confirm that “a quiet understanding” had been reached but made clear the US is able to freeze the funds.
|CNN
