The United States warned that it may again freeze funds released to Iran, which is suspected of being behind a surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed group Hamas. Former U.S. President Donald Trump and the opposition Republican Party began responding to pressure on President Joe Biden by claiming that Iran supported Hamas.
John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the White House National Security Council (NSC), said in an interview with MSNBC on the 10th (local time) that the $6 billion (approximately 8 trillion won) worth of Iranian crude oil exports currently stored in Qatari banks can be frozen again at any time. “It is possible,” he said, adding, “Refreezing is an option we can utilize.” This means that if Iran is confirmed to be behind Hamas’ attack on Israel, it could become a ‘response card’.
There were also reports that U.S. intelligence officials were looking for evidence that Iran was involved in this surprise attack by Hamas. On the 10th, CNN quoted a senior official in the Biden administration as saying, “The U.S. intelligence community has begun reviewing extensive data to find evidence of Iranian involvement, and counterintelligence officials have also stepped in.” However, Coordinator Kirby said in a CNN interview on the 8th, “We have not secured any clear evidence that Iran was involved in the Hamas attack.”
Last month, the United States reached a deal with Iran to exchange American prisoners and decided to provide $6 billion in Iranian crude oil export proceeds tied up in Korea to Iran through a Qatari bank on the condition that it be used only for humanitarian purposes. Coordinator Kirby told Fox News on the 10th, “Not a single penny of the funds has yet flowed to the Iranian regime.”
However, the Republican Party is increasing the level of its offensive against President Biden, claiming the ‘$6 billion Hamas inflow theory’. Former President Trump, the leading Republican presidential candidate, criticized the lifting of frozen funds from Iran on the 7th, saying, “Because of a really weak leader (Biden), we (the United States) are considered weak and ineffective.”
On the 10th, Senator Mike Brown said on Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and 20 Republican senators sent a letter to the White House on the 9th demanding that the funds be frozen.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.