John Kirby: The Islamic Republic Has Never Been Concerned About the Needs of the Iranian People

John Kirby, the White House Coordinator for Strategic Communications, in an interview with Fox News, responded to the question of whether the Biden administration is concerned that the Islamic Republic has threatened to intervene if Israel continues operations in Gaza, saying, "We are concerned about the potential escalation of tensions." He added, "We do not want any actor or country like Iran or a terrorist group like Hezbollah to escalate this tension or open another front that diverts Israeli defense forces from the main war with Hamas, which is why Biden ordered the deployment of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower strike group as a deterrent message to the Eastern Mediterranean, and that is also why we recently announced that the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group is prepared for deterrent operations in the Eastern Mediterranean." Kirby also responded to the question of whether the White House needs evidence of a direct link between the Islamic Republic and Hamas to hold Iran accountable for Hamas's attacks, stating, "Of course, Iran is complicit. It provides resources and training to Hamas. It is clear that it helps Hamas to carry out terrorist attacks. For us, Iran must be held accountable. Iranian attacks on our forces in Syria and Iraq have significantly decreased due to our retaliatory strikes. The longest ceasefire in Yemen has been implemented, which has effectively saved the lives of tens of thousands of Yemenis. We have increased our military capability in the Gulf region by deploying additional ships and aircraft, and we are now strengthening our military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean. No one should mistake that we do not hold Iran accountable. Look at the assistance Iran provides to Russia and the additional sanctions we have imposed against them for providing drone technology to Russia. Of course, Iran must be held accountable. But we must look at the flow of information as much as we can, which is still ongoing. However, when we look at the information we have, we have not yet seen direct Iranian involvement in these attacks. This does not mean we are not looking for it, but we have not found it yet. I have seen reports on this, but I cannot confirm them." Fox News also referred to criticism of the Biden administration for recently ordering the transfer of six billion dollars of Iran's frozen funds in South Korea to Qatar. The White House Coordinator for Strategic Communications responded, "Not a single rial has been spent. Iran does not have access to a single rial. The Iranian regime will never receive this money. This money is as blocked in Qatar as it was in South Korea and relates to a series of accounts that were arranged during the Trump administration. When then-Secretary of State Pompeo announced these accounts, there was no objection. And Iran withdrew billions of dollars from other accounts that were supposed to be used for humanitarian purposes. We cannot account for them, and we can only talk about this six billion dollars. All this money is still in Qatar. Iran has no access to any of it." Kirby addressed concerns that the Islamic Republic would use released foreign currency and humanitarian aid to finance terrorist groups, stating, "The argument that money is interchangeable is a flawed argument. It is not the case that Iranian officials are sitting there saying we have six billion dollars, let’s go fund terrorists, and we should not worry about the food needs of the Iranian people. They have never been concerned about the needs of their own people and have never thought about humanitarian aid for their own people, and I must reiterate that they do not have access to this money. Another argument is that they support terrorists. It has always been this way." Kirby continued by referencing the hundreds of sanctions imposed during Biden's two and a half years in office, stating that it is not the case that we have turned a blind eye to Iran's destructive activities. An American official stated: The U.S. and Qatar agreed not to act on any request from Iran for access to the six billion dollars of released funds. Two Democratic senators also called for the blocking of the six billion dollars in the possession of the Islamic Republic. Pressure from Republicans to take action against the Islamic Republic has increased following Hamas's attack on Israel. An American analyst stated: The Biden administration's appeasement of the Islamic Republic has been effective in Hamas's attacks on Israel; Kirby: You have no evidence. Israel is at war; Republican lawmakers emphasized Israel's right to self-defense. Hamas's rocket attack on Tel Aviv; American senators were moved to a shelter. Sullivan: The U.S. has warned the Islamic Republic about escalating conflicts in Israel. Netanyahu: We will destroy Hamas.