White House: Iran's Funds in Qatar Are Subject to Greater 'Legal Restrictions'

The White House states: "Iran's funds in Qatar are subject to greater legal restrictions compared to when they were in South Korea." The Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council of the White House, John Kirby, emphasized during a press conference on Wednesday, September 13, in response to criticisms regarding the 'prisoner exchange agreement' and the 'transfer of Iran's frozen funds': "These funds will now be subject to greater legal restrictions compared to when they were in South Korea, and the United States will monitor their spending." According to a report by the Persian section of Voice of America, Kirby stressed: "Where this money goes and for what purpose it is spent will be closely monitored by the United States, and if the Islamic Republic attempts to divert the funds, we will take action and block Iran's access to this money again." Kirby described the situation of American prisoners in Iran as "tragic" and "horrific," adding: "You all know that they are being held in terrible conditions in Evin prison, and we have worked hard to bring them home as soon as possible. Now, to secure their freedom, the United States has reached an understanding under which Iran's funds held in South Korea will be transferred to restricted accounts in Qatar, where they will only be available for traceable humanitarian transactions such as food, medicine, medical supplies, medical equipment, and agricultural products." Kirby clarified that "this is not a ransom payment": "These are not American taxpayer dollars, and we have not lifted a single one of the U.S. sanctions against Iran. Iran will not receive any 'sanction exemption.' We will continue to confront the regime's human rights violations, counter their destabilizing actions abroad, address their support for terrorism, and monitor their actions against shipping in the Gulf waters and elsewhere, as well as their ongoing support for Russia's war against Ukraine." He also rejected the notion that the timing of the American prisoner exchange and the release of Iran's funds coincided with the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, stating: "The timing here has nothing to do with any anniversary or date. It is only related to the understanding we have reached with Iran to bring these Americans home. We continue to sympathize with the people of Iran and hold the morality police and other institutions of the Islamic Republic accountable for their actions over the past year." Regarding the timeline for the release of hostages and their return to the U.S., Kirby noted: "I do not have a timeline to provide at this time. However, we hope to bring them home as soon as possible." In response to another question about the possibility of resuming nuclear negotiations, Kirby stated: "The President (Biden) has repeatedly said that we will not allow Iran to ever acquire a nuclear weapon, and we prefer to address it through diplomacy. Unfortunately, the previous U.S. administration chose to tear up an agreement that had actually delayed their (Iran's) ambitions for many months, and now they have been allowed to continue enriching, and there is nothing we can do about that at the moment." This senior media official of the National Security Council warned Tehran officials: "We are not currently focused on returning to the JCPOA, but we will ensure that we have the appropriate capabilities in the region to defend ourselves and our national security interests if necessary."