US will be able to freeze Iranian funds transferred to Qatar if needed

The United States on Tuesday vowed enforcement on how Iran uses $6 billion being unfrozen in a deal to release prisoners, as Tehran rejects US insistence the money is only for humanitarian use.

“We will remain vigilant and watching the spending of those funds and have the ability to freeze them again if we need to,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

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He said the US Treasury Department would have “strict oversight” over the funds being sent from South Korea to a special account in Qatar.

“We have visibility into how they’re used, and we have the ability to police their use,” he said.

The State Department confirmed Monday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had signed off on waivers to allow the transfer of the money, which Iran had earned through oil sales.

South Korea blocked the money in hopes of complying with US sanctions reimposed by then president Donald Trump when he trashed a nuclear accord with Iran.

President Joe Biden’s administration says the money can be used only for food, medicine and other humanitarian purchases.

The Iranian government has publicly denied that there are strict conditions on how it uses the money.

The Biden administration negotiated the agreement as it sought the release of five US citizens were jailed in Iran.

The five — all considered Iranian nationals by Tehran, which rejects dual nationality — were released to house arrest when the deal was announced last month and are expected to be allowed to fly out through Qatar once the funds transfer is complete in the coming days.

Iranian state media have said that five Iranians will also be freed by the United States.

The rival Republican Party has attacked Biden over the agreement, saying he is paying “ransom” to a state considered by the United States to be a sponsor of terrorism.

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