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Iran says has access to unfrozen funds in Qatar, rejects reports otherwise

Thursday, 12 October 2023 6:54 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 12 October 2023 7:06 PM ]

The photo shows the head office building of Qatar’s Ahlibank in Doha.

Iran has rejected a report that says the country had been barred from accessing its $6 billion funds recently unfrozen and transferred to Qatari banks.

“There has been no change in the issue of Iran's access to its foreign exchange resources in Qatari banks and the agreement [reached in this regard] remains in force,” Nour News, which is affiliate to Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, the Washington Post reported that US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo had told House Democrats that American officials and the Qatari government had agreed to stop Iran from accessing a $6 billion account in light of a surprise attack by the Palestinian Hamas resistance group against Israel.

Adeyemo’s remarks were cited by two people who were speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Back in August, Iran and the United States agreed to a Qatar-brokered deal to secure the release of some $6 billion of Iranian funds that had remained blocked in two South Korean banks since 2018 under the pretext of US sanctions.

The money was successfully transferred last month to accounts held by six Iranian banks in Qatar’s Ahlibank and Dukhan Bank.

Chief banker confirms deposit of some $6 billion in unfrozen funds into Iran accounts in Qatar

The Central Bank of Iran governor has confirmed that the Islamic Republic’s released funds totaling $6 billion have now been transferred to Qatari banks.

The administration of US President Joe Biden claimed at the time that the funds and the proceeds of Iranian oil sales to South Korea could only be spent on “humanitarian” purposes.

However, Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi underscored Tehran's full authority on its assets, saying it is the Islamic Republic that decides how to spend the funds and that the money will be spent "wherever we need it."

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