At a time when humanitarian aid is vitally needed, the U.S. apparently went out of its way to make sure that Iran did not dispense any of their $6 billion for such purposes. An unnamed U.S. official, according to ABC News, announced yesterday that the U.S. reached a deal with Qatar whereby, contrary to the U.S. agreement of a month ago, Iran will not be able to access the $6 billion in their funds for humanitarian purposes. The official who outlined the understanding between the U.S. and Qatar was not authorized to comment and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Only a month ago, Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed an agreement whereby $6 billion of proceeds from previous Iranian oil sales which had been denied them, would now be sent to Qatar, and Qatar would release those funds to Iran only for specific humanitarian purposes. Iran agreed to free five U.S. nationals who had been convicted of espionage. Now CNN reports, citing a “source in the room,” that Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told House Democrats yesterday that a “quiet understanding” had been arranged with Qatar to deny any and all Iranian requests for those funds.
So, the Iran that is accused, without evidence, of aiding Gaza in military actions, is now forbidden from aiding Gaza with humanitarian actions. It turns out that Iran had to cut a deal to get access to its own funds, with restrictions on how they could use the funds, and that Qatar, which was supposed to be the neutral arbiter, is not to be an independent actor.
