Unfrozen funds will be used for whatever the Iranian people need: Raisi
The Iranian president says his government will decide how to use billions in oil funds that were released under a prisoner-exchange deal with the US
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi says his country will independently determine how to spend $6 billion in previously frozen funds to be released as part of a prisoner exchange agreement with the US.
“This money belongs to the Iranian people, the Iranian government, so the Islamic Republic of Iran will decide what to do with this money,” Raisi said on 12 September in an NBC News interview.
He also shot down claims from US officials who have previously said the Treasury Department will closely monitor Tehran's spending of the funds, adding that they can only be used for humanitarian purposes.
“Humanitarian means whatever the Iranian people need, so this money will be budgeted for those needs, and the needs of the Iranian people will be decided and determined by the Iranian government,” Raisi stressed.
Following the airing of Raisi's interview, a senior White House official reiterated Washington's claim to NBC News, saying that the funds would be transferred to Qatar and that the Treasury Department would then “track all transactions closely to ensure the money is used exclusively for humanitarian purposes.”
“It’s going to be held in a bank in Qatar, and each transaction will be monitored by US Treasury — transaction by transaction," the official said. "It’s for humanitarian aid only.”
Tens of billions of dollars owed to Iran for oil and other exports have been frozen around the world since 2018, when former US president Donald Trump unilaterally exited the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, and launched a “maximum pressure” campaign against the Islamic Republic.
The release of $6 billion in those funds is part of a prisoner exchange deal reached between Washington and Tehran with Qatari mediation, which will see the release of five US citizens detained on espionage charges and five Iranians jailed in the US for allegedly violating Washington’s sanctions regime.
In August, Iran released four of five detainees from prison in a show of goodwill and placed them on house arrest. The fifth detainee had already been transferred to house arrest.