US House Votes to Block Iran’s Access to $6 Billion

The US House of Representatives have passed a measure that would block the Islamic Republic of Iran from accessing any of the $6 billion recently unfrozen as part of a prisoner swap.

The No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act passed 307-119 on November 30, as Republicans sought to hold the Biden administration accountable for what they call their complicity in funding Iranian-backed terrorism in the Middle East.

The resolution, which would impose new sanctions on the funds to prevent their transfer to Iran, now goes to the Senate where it is unlikely to be supported by the Democratic majority.

American officials say that not a single dollar has yet to be made available to Tehran and insist that when it is, it can only be used for humanitarian needs.

But Republican critics argue that the money could free up other funds for Tehran to provide support to terrorist groups such as Hamas.

The prisoner swap agreement led to the September release of five Americans who had been wrongfully detained in Iran and an unknown number of Iranians imprisoned in the United States.

The moves came after $6 billions dollars in frozen Iranian assets were transferred from banks in South Korea to Qatar.