“Consider additional sanctions against Iran… complete freeze of assets”
As the conflict between the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas and Israel intensifies, voices from the U.S. Democratic Party have emerged calling for the refreezing of Iranian crude oil payments that were lifted from Korea and transferred to Qatar.
According to The Hill, a media outlet specializing in Congress, Democratic senators Jon Tester and Joe Manchin requested the Biden administration to refreeze Iranian crude oil payments on the 10th (local time). These are representative centrists within the U.S. Democratic Party, and Representative Manchin in particular has been opposing President Biden’s agenda at every turn.
Representative Manchin issued a statement that day, saying, “I did not support the transfer of $6 billion (approximately 8.58 trillion won) in the first place,” and added, “We must consider additional sanctions (against Iran) and completely freeze these Iranian assets.” “I do it,” he said, raising his voice.
He specifically mentioned Hamas’ raids on Israel and the killing of civilians, saying, “All countries and governments found to be supporting this terrorist organization should immediately be subject to the harshest sanctions,” thereby stopping support for Hamas’ barbaric actions.
“As U.S. intelligence officials continue to investigate terrorist attacks committed by Hamas, we must consider options for holding Iran accountable for any support it may have provided,” Tester said in a statement. .
“At a minimum, we must immediately freeze $6 billion in Iranian assets and explore other financial measures,” he said. “We need to ensure that our ally Israel can defend itself against continued serious attacks on civilians.” He emphasized.
Previously, the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on the weekend of the 7th, mobilizing a large number of missiles and paratroopers. This attack resulted in a number of deaths, including Israeli troops, civilians, and foreigners gathered at the music festival.
After this attack, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and 20 senators from the Republican Party called for a refreeze of $6 billion in Iranian crude oil payments, considering Iran’s past history of supporting Hamas. These funds were frozen in Korea during the Donald Trump administration and were recently transferred to a Qatari bank.
Previously, the Joe Biden administration reached an agreement with the Iranian government in August regarding the release of its citizens who had been detained there. It is known that the core of the agreement was the lifting of the freeze on Iranian crude oil prices, which were frozen in Korea at the time, and the transfer to the Qatar Central Bank.
In relation to this, John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the White House National Security Council (NSC), said in a Fox News interview on the same day, “There is no policy decision worth talking about today” regarding the refreezing of funds, but “not a single penny of those funds went to the Iranian regime.” He emphasized.
Source: Donga