Blinken’s ’Lie’
The recent deal between Iran and the United States regarding the release of prisoners and the release of Iran’s blocked money has drawn many reactions, especially in the United States. However, in order to reduce the pressure of the internal and external influence lobbies, the US government has made false statements about this deal in the media and is trying to present it in a different way. Among these efforts are Blinken’s false statements that Iran has limited access to its assets.
By Javad Mohammad Ali
Staff writer
Iran and the United States have reached an agreement that would see the release of prisoners from both sides and unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian funds illegally held in South Korea for years.
According to a statement released by Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday, the process of the freeing several billion dollars of Iran’s oil revenues blocked in South Korea is underway.
The statement added that the release of several Iranians illegally imprisoned in US prisons under the pretext of violation of US sanctions will be realized soon.
The Foreign Ministry noted that Tehran had received the necessary guarantee for Washington’s commitment to the deal.
The ministry underlined that it is up to Iran and Iranian authorities on how to utilize the funds.
That assertion is at odds with comments made by the officials in the US.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said on Thursday that Iran is “only going to be able to use that money for humanitarian purposes.”
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also claimed that Iran’s own funds would be used and transferred to restricted accounts such that the monies can only be used for humanitarian purposes. He said that the United States would offer no sanctions relief to Iran under the deal.
It seems that the US administration is not saying the truth to US politicians about the details of the agreement and wants to show that it has not violated the sanctions the US itself imposed on Iran. It also seems that a recent US military buildup in the Persian Gulf is a move by the Biden administration to appease Republicans before the unveiling of the deal with Iran.
The potential release of Iranian assets has drawn fierce criticism in the US, with top Republicans claiming that President Joseph Biden had paid a ransom for the US citizens, and that the deal would embolden the Islamic Republic.
The New York Times had earlier reported that under the deal, the US will unfreeze nearly $6 billion of Iran’s assets in South Korea, putting the funds in an account in the Central Bank of Qatar. According to officials at the US State Department and the National Security Council, Iran has already transferred five American prisoners into house arrest as a first step in the agreement.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations also confirmed the transfer of American prisoners into house arrest, saying, “As part of a humanitarian cooperation agreement mediated by a third-party government, Iran and the US have agreed to reciprocally release and pardon five prisoners. The transfer of these prisoners [to house arrest] marks a significant initial step in the implementation of this agreement.”