

“We are implementing this arrangement through the establishment of what we are calling the humanitarian channel in Qatar,” which is designed to protect against money laundering and misuse of the funds, a senior administration official said. How the US says it is conducting oversightīiden administration officials have stressed each transaction using the funds will be monitored by the US Treasury Department. “But we know the truth, and so we’re confident in in this.”

Raisi’s comments were entirely off base,” a senior State Department official said. “The Iranians are telling their people basically what they think they want to hear. “We will continue to counter Iran, the Iran regime’s human rights abuses, will continue to counter their destabilizing actions abroad, its support for terrorism, attack on maritime shipping in the Gulf, and its continued support for Russia’s war against Ukraine.” “This is not a payment of any kind, it’s not ransom, these aren’t US taxpayer dollars, and we haven’t lifted a single one of our sanctions on Iran – Iran will be getting no sanctions relief,” Kirby said. Kirby said that statement was “flat out wrong.” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in an interview last week that the Iranian government will decide how and where to spend the $6 billion in frozen assets. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved a waiver to allow financial institutions in Europe to move the money to Qatar without fear of invoking US sanctions.Īnd the Iranian government was not given the ability to access those funds until US officials had eyes on the five Americans when they landed in Doha, US government officials familiar with the matter said. The funds began to be transferred out of the South Korean accounts after four of the five Americans were moved from Evin Prison to house arrest last month. But it is not totally under the control of the Iranian government and will not reside in Iranian banks, according to the US. The money is now available to the Iranian government for purchase of non-sanctionable items such as food and medicine. Sources told CNN the funds came from oil sales that were allowed and placed into accounts set up under the Trump administration. The money made accessible to Iran as a part of the deal are Iranian funds that have been held in restricted South Korean accounts.
