In an interview, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi gloated that his government will determine how to allocate the $6 billion in previously frozen funds that are set to be released as part of a prisoner exchange agreement with the United States. Raisi asserted that the money will be spent “wherever we need it,” despite Biden government claims it was meant for “humanitarian purposes”.
Under Biden’s 9/11 agreement with the Islamic Republic, Iran will gain access to approximately $6 billion of oil revenues that were held in South Korean banks due to U.S. sanctions. The funds will be overseen by Qatar’s central bank. The Biden government has taken steps to facilitate the transfer and informed Congress on Monday that a waiver has been issued to allow international banks to transfer the funds to Qatar without the threat of U.S. sanctions.
While Raisi claimed that American prisoners were in good condition, their families have reported prolonged interrogations and mistreatment. Siamak Namazi, who has been imprisoned in Iran since 2015, revealed that he was held in solitary confinement for the first 27 months of his incarceration. Babak Namazi, Siamak’s brother, stated that Siamak was subjected to beatings. Iran has denied these allegations, asserting that the Americans were treated lawfully and rejecting accusations from the United Nations and human rights organizations that they were detained on false charges.
