TEHRAN: Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, affirmed on Monday that Iran has access to the recently released $6 billion deposited in Qatari banks. Kanaani emphasized that Iran can use the funds to meet its needs, addressing concerns raised by the US Congress seeking to block Iran’s access to the money.
The funds were released earlier this year by South Korea as part of a prisoner swap agreement between Tehran and Washington. Kanaani stated that the US government is obligated to honor its international commitments and the indirect agreement with Tehran concerning the released assets.
The Spokesman criticized the US Congress for accusing Iran of playing a role in the Hamas attack on Israel and attempting to evade legal commitments toward Iran while turning a blind eye to crimes against the innocent Palestinian people.
US Taking Measures to Block Iran’s Access to Released Funds
The US House of Representatives passed a bipartisan measure aiming to block Iran’s access to the released funds. The agreement between Iran and the United States, leading to the prisoner swap in September, involved the transfer of $6 billion from Iranian accounts frozen in South Korean banks to six accounts in Qatari banks.
Iranian officials, while expressing support for Palestinians, have consistently denied any involvement in the Hamas attack on Israel that occurred on October 7.
