Key takeaways:
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there is no “direct evidence” linking Iran to Saturday’s attack on Israel by Hamas.
- The $6 billion in Iranian oil assets that were freed up as part of last month’s U.S.-Iran prisoner swap are now “frozen” according to Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo.
- The U.S. is continuing to investigate the attack on Israel and the role Iran may have played in it, and the $6 billion in Iranian oil assets remain frozen and the sanctions on Iran are still in place.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that there is no “direct evidence” linking Iran to Saturday’s attack on Israel by Hamas, even though the two have a long-standing relationship. In an interview with NBC’s “Nightly News,” Blinken said that this relationship is one of the reasons the U.S. has levied sanctions on Iranian individuals and companies over 400 times since President Joe Biden came into office.
Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo informed House Democrats in a closed-door meeting Thursday morning that the $6 billion in Iranian oil assets that were freed up as part of last month’s U.S.-Iran prisoner swap are now “frozen,” according to a source. Sen. Cory Booker, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee and was in Jerusalem when Hamas launched its large-scale attack, told CBS Mornings on Friday that “a dollar of it has not gone out.”
Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, has been supported by Iran for many years, Blinken said. He added that the U.S. has a “quiet understanding” with Qatar not to release any of the $6 billion.
The U.S. is continuing to investigate the attack on Israel and the role Iran may have played in it. In the meantime, the $6 billion in Iranian oil assets remain frozen and the sanctions on Iran are still in place.
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