Congress Looking To Stop Iran Accessing $6 Billion In Qatar
More than 100 House Republicans have backed a bill to refreeze the $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue that was released last month as part of a prisoner swap deal.
More than 100 House Republicans have backed a bill to refreeze the $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue that was released last month as part of a prisoner swap deal.
The deal had many opponents among the Republicans from the onset. Some called it ‘ransom’ and warned that the regime in Iran may use it against US interests. But the Biden administration maintained that the funds were watched closely and could only be used for humanitarian purposes.
Once Hamas, a group supported by Iran, launched a terror attack on Israel, the opponents of the deal felt vindicated and took direct action.
“A month ago… the Biden Administration unfroze $6 billion and made it available to Iran,” said Congressman August Pfluger who introduced a bill to block Iran’s access to the fund. “This $6 billion will be used to backfill the money that Iran is paying to Hamas if we don’t act. Since the Administration refuses to permanently freeze the funds, Congress will.”
One day earlier, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had hinted that the funds could be frozen once more. John Kirby, spokesperson for the US National Security Council, did also suggest that the funds “can be re-frozen” at any time.
But neither statement satisfied the Republicans, it seems. They wanted an immediate and permanent ‘refreeze’.
Section 2 of the bill reads, “notwithstanding any other provision of law, on and after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President may not exercise the waiver authority…”
It’s not clear when this bill would be put to a vote. Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern who co-leads the bill with Rep. Pfluger said in a statement he will “work to get a vote on the House floor as soon as possible.”
The bill and the demands made by Republican senators highlight the deep divisions in Washington on Iran policy in general and the fate of the $6 billion, in particular.
With the 2024 election campaign well under way, President Biden may find it hard to devise a new policy, let alone implement it. He has been chasing some form of agreement with the Islamic Republic in the hope that it would curb the regime’s nuclear ambitions. But the Republicans may very well turn any such agreement into an attack line against the backdrop of the Hamas attack in Israel.
The Pfluger/Hern bill has wide support in the House and can be expected to pass. It will add to the pressure on Biden and his administration to refreeze the $6 billion fund even before the bill is enacted into law. The issue is that no one knows exactly what kind of a deal the administration has with Qatar over the money.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that a senior official from the US Treasury has informed House Democrats that the US and Qatar have agreed to deny Iran the use of the $6 billion fund even for non-sanctionable goods.
The unfrozen $6 billion was transferred from two South Korean banks to a Qatari bank with the State Department’s greenlight.
Asked about the Washington Post report, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, avoided a direct response. “We have strict oversight on the funds, and we retain the right to freeze them,” he said.
Iranian officials are yet to react to the movements in Washington aimed at refreezing the unfrozen fund.
As all media are meant to echo the official stance of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, the architect of Tehran’s nuclear deal with the world and the mastermind behind the regime’s lobbying network abroad, hailed not only Hamas but also Khamenei for the regime's stance to distance itself from the Hamas massacre now shocking the world.
During an event to unveil his latest book, Zarif said, “Israel needs to create both internal and external adversaries for its survival,” tacitly referring to statements that implicated the regime in the Hamas multi-thronged attack on Israeli cities, which has killed over 1,300 Israelis and injured thousands more.
“Israel seeks to portray Iran as a threat. I am very pleased that our Supreme Leader disrupted the Israeli plot in his Tuesday speech. This was a necessity for Iran's national security," Zarif added. On Tuesday, Khamenei strategically changed his view about Iran's involvement in the Hamas terror attack in comparison to his earlier statement.
Earlier, Khamenei had said, "We intervened due to our enmity with Israel and the result was the victory in the 33-day and 22-day wars. We will help any group that would fight Israel." But his opinion was different on Tuesday after being cautioned and warned by US officials: "Islamic Iran is being named as the country behind this move [by Hamas]. But they make a mistake. This was done by Palestinians themselves."
Expressing any opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Iran is a risky endeavor, as all officials and politicians must meticulously align themselves with Khamenei’s subtle nuances. In Iran, once Khamenei dictates the regime's policy themes concerning global developments, other officials, clerics, and his representatives across the country begin to disseminate them.
No matter the changes in Khamenei’s rhetoric or tone, the regime's position remains inherently contradictory. It applauds Hamas's bloody attack as a victory in their wish to uproot Israel, takes pride in its years of support for the Gaza-ruling terrorist group, and pledges further assistance, all while maintaining Iran's non-involvement.
After Khamenei sets the tone and direction, much of the saber-rattling is automatically delegated to his men installed in all the country’s organizations and governing bodies. His representative in the Revolutionary Guards, Abdollah Hajisadeghi, said Thursday that Israel "lacks the capability to confront the resistance front." The ‘resistance’ is the term the Islamic Republic regime calls its logistic, financial and intelligence support for the militia groups in the region, several of which were created by Iran.
He added that Iran must deliver this message to Israel with a resounding voice: "Until your complete annihilation, the Islamic Revolution and the Resistance front will never rest."
Khamenei’s chief of staff, Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, said, "The Israeli prime minister said the head of the snake is in Iran; this is not the head of the snake, it is the staff of Moses, and it’ll swallow and destroy all snakes.” According to Biblical and Quranic stories, the Moses’ staff became a serpent and swallowed up all other staffs that had also been transformed into snakes by Pharaoh’s sorcerers.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who is in Iraq on the first leg of his tour of the region to discuss the conflict, said Thursday "The Islamic Republic's stance on Palestine is unequivocal, and we have consistently supported the rights of Palestinian Muslims. However, what happened during the Operation Al-Aqsa Storm was an entirely Palestinian, self-driven reaction to the continued offenses and provocations committed by the Zionists against the Palestinian people.”
President Raisi also reiterated Thursday that Iran defends Palestine and “takes pride in defending their rights." He again congratulated Hamas on its “significant victories” in recent days.
Senior Hamas official Ali Baraka said in an interview with a Russian channel earlier in the week that “Hamas had been secretly planning the invasion of southern Israel for two years, even as it was making it seem like it was busy governing the Gaza Strip.” During all this time, Iran had been providing Hamas with military training, financial and arms support, and intelligence.
Didban Iran [Iran Monitor] website noted the inconsistency in the behavior of Iranian officials last week, comparing their friendly presence at the Saudi embassy to the provocative placement of a bust of former IRGC Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani in Esfahan's main football stadium where a the Saudi Ittihad team was scheduled to face an Iranian team within the frameworks of the AFC Champions League earlier this month.
The website also noted state-owned media outlets, such as the ultraconservative daily Kayhan, adopted a less-than-friendly approach. The Khamenei-linked daily's editor Hossein Shariatmadari wrote in a strongly-worded commentary after the match was cancelled that "Iran should ban any match between Iranian and Saudi teams anywhere in the world." Shariatmadari further criticized Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian for not announcing such a ban.
According to Didban Iran, the shift in behavior was not limited to state officials as some Revolutionary Guard commanders, members of the Iranian parliament, state-owned media and revolutionary institutions have also appear to have changed their friendly rhetoric toward Saudi Arabia. The website noted that these are the same officials, media outlets and state organizations that seven months ago praised the Tehran-Riyadh rapprochement as "the Raisi administration's miracle."
The website recalled that Kayhan had said seven months ago that "Iran has achieved the rapprochement with Saudi Arabia from a position of power." The daily had called the resumption of Tehran-Riyadh ties "a slap in the face of the United States and Israel." However, on Saturday, the Kayhan threatened Saudi Arabia, stating that " the revolutionary organizations will confront you if you approach Israel."
The website quoted a deputy commander of the IRGC as saying that "relations with Saudi Arabia will be desirable if they can save the Palestinian nation." This comes while earlier, Yahya Rahim Safavi, a former IRGC commander who is currently Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's top military adviser had said that "renewing ties with Riyadh has brought about an earthquake for the US hegemony in the region."
Didban Iran also highlighted the change of tone of members of the Iranian parliament about Saudi Arabia following the incident in Esfahan. Generally, the website accused Iranian politicians and military commanders of having double standards about Saudi Arabia.
Khabar Online website last week characterized the shift in the approach of Iranian hardliners as "renewed attempts to disrupt relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia." It also noted that Iranian hardliners made it clear they detested Amir-Abdollahian's attempt to prevent a new tension between Tehran and Riyadh and started a new round of attacks on him.
In another development, former moderate conservative lawmaker Mansoor Haqiqatpur told Nameh News website: "Iran has called the renewing of ties with Saudi Arabia a strategic agreement. But does Saudi Arabia see the rapprochement in the same way? Or Riyadh bought some time to facilitate China's trillion-dollar investment in the Saudi energy sector?"
Haqiqatpur opined that by demanding the removal of Soleimani's bust, "Al-Ittihad disrespected Iranian people's values and Soleimani's status." He further called on the Iranian government to take a clear stance about the matter and say whether what happened was a mistake by Iran or Saudi Arabia.
Responding to this question will not be easy in Iran's volatile political situation, particularly because the question has been framed in a way to leave the ultraconservative government speechless in front of its political rivals.