GlobalWide News
The New York Times: U.S. and Qatar have reached an agreement to prevent Iran from accessing $6 billion that was recently sent to the country. This fund transfer was a result of a deal between the U.S. and Iran which saw the release of five Americans imprisoned in Iran. Despite being meant for humanitarian purposes under strict guidelines, the decision has been heavily criticized, especially by Republicans. They believe that by giving Iran this vast amount, other funds became available for Iran to support Hamas, who recently attacked Israel. While there’s no concrete evidence that Iran directly supported the attack, it has historically backed Hamas. The Biden administration’s stance on this issue is currently uncertain. It is unknown if the funds will be permanently inaccessible to Iran or if this is a temporary measure. The funds were initially from South Korean banks as a result of Seoul purchasing Iranian oil, but due to fear of U.S. sanctions, Iran had difficulties accessing them. Hence, as part of the prisoner deal, the funds were moved to Qatari banks. The recent decision to restrict the funds seems to be a change in direction from the Biden administration, which had previously stated that these funds were unrelated to the Hamas attack on Israel. When confronted about this, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken clarified that the money can only be used for essential humanitarian supplies.
The entire article can be read at the link https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/world/middleeast/us-qatar-iran-prisoner-deal.html
