WASHINGTON — The U.S. and Qatari governments have agreed to block Iran from accessing any of the $6 billion it gained access to as part of a prisoner swap deal between the Biden administration and Tehran last month, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told House Democrats on Thursday, according to three sources familiar with his remarks, two of whom were in the room.
The two sources in the room said Adeyemo did not give any timeframe for how long the U.S. and Qatar agreed to block Iran’s access to the money.
The Biden administration has said the $6 billion in unfrozen Iranian oil assets could be used by Tehran only for humanitarian assistance.
Iran could only access the money through a series of steps, including oversight by the Treasury Department, administration officials have said.
But there was growing pressure on the White House to send a clearer message that Iran would not access the money.
It’s unclear how halting Iran’s access to the $6 billion may affect the administration’s efforts to negotiate future deals for the release of other wrongfully detained Americans.
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