How Donald Trump's Oil Waiver Gave Iran $6 Billion
I n the wake of the Hamas attack against Israel, a number of Republicans claimed that the Biden administration helped play a role in the violence by unfreezing $6 billion of Iranian oil money in exchange for the release of five American hostages.
The unsubstantiated claim, which has been dismissed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the White House National Security Council (NSC), attempted to suggest that the Biden administration's decision to free up $6 billion in frozen money so it can be moved from countries such as South Korea meant that Iran, a supporter of the Islamist militant group, used to money to help Hamas orchestrate the attack.
However, even if the claim that the now available Iranian money was used to fund Hamas was true, the $6 billion figure arrived because of a decision made by Donald Trump during his time in the White House.
In 2018, Trump granted eight countries, including South Korea, a waiver that allowed them to continue purchasing oil from Iran even after the U.S. imposed sanctions on the Gulf nation after Trump abandoned the Iran nuclear
The deal meant South Korea held $6 billion in Iranian funds, which were then frozen in 2019 after the Trump administration imposed further sanctions on Iran.
Last month, the Biden administration confirmed that a deal had been struck to free five American hostages in Iran. The deal saw five Iranian prisoners released in exchange, as well as the $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets held in South Korea being freed and transferred to an account in Doha, Qatar, where Iran has not yet accessed it.
Trump and several other Republicans blamed the Biden administration for the Hamas attack in Israel by suggesting Iran used the $6 billion to fund the group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union .
The former president even appeared to falsely suggest that the $6 billion figure was " taxpayer dollars" being given to Hamas by
On Saturday, soon after Hamas began its attack, the White House National Security Council said the money in question hasn't been accessed by Iran, and even then can only be used for humanitarian purposes.
"Not a single cent from these funds has been spent, and when it is spent, it can only be spent on things like food and medicine for the Iranian people," a spokeswoman for the NSC, Adrienne Watson, said. "These funds have absolutely nothing to do with the horrific attacks today, and this is not the time to spread disinformation."
A similar reassurance was also made by Blinken during an interview on ABC 's This Week.
"Not a single dollar from that account has actually been spent to date," Blinken said. "And in any event, it's very carefully and closely regulated by the Treasury Department to make sure that it's only used for food, for medicine, for medical equipment."
Ali Vaez, the International Crisis Group's Iran project director, also rejected suggestions that Iran has accessed the $6 billion in unfrozen South Korean funds.
"All the U.S. has done is basically moved restricted assets that Iran had in South Korea to restricted asset and restricted accounts in Doha, through which Iran can only submit requests," Vaez told Newsweek.
"The U.S. actually has oversight over every single order that Iran submits to," Vaez added. "It can veto them. It can freeze the funds again. So, this is a deal that is 100 percent in the interest of the United States."
The $6 billion prisoner swap was already heavily criticized by Republicans, with South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham suggesting in a September 12 post on X, formerly Twitter , that it could "entice rogue regimes, like Iran, to take even more Americans hostage."
The prisoner swap deal has been brought back into the spotlight by several Republicans taking swipes at Biden .
In a Saturday post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "These Hamas attacks are a disgrace and Israel has every right to defend itself with overwhelming force. Sadly, American taxpayer dollars helped fund these attacks, which many reports are saying came from the Biden Administration."
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, one of two confirmed candidates for the vacant House speaker role, wrote on X on October 7: "The Biden Administration must be held accountable for its appeasement of these Hamas terrorists, including handing over billions of dollars to them and their Iranian backers."
Link to article:
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-oil-waiver-iran-hamas-israel-1833864
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Opps.
"The deal saw five Iranian prisoners released in exchange, as well as the $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets held in South Korea being freed and transferred to an account in Doha, Qatar, where Iran has not yet accessed it."
It's called ransom. Should have been an even prisoner swap.
Whether the money has been transferred or not, that's still $6 billion that Iran won't have to spend on humanitarian aid, so they can use other funds to support Hamas' terrorism. The Dems have been lending support to Hamas for a long time, and kowtowing to the mullahs in Iran
Yeah, but what if you paid the kidnappers with their own money?
Apparently, there is going to be a freeze on the assets that Iran was going to get. So so much for that.
Iran always gets money from us through back-door agreements. This one comes as no surprise.
Yup, once again.
Yeah, it's Trump's fault.
Good that you agree, you're making progress.
BTW $235 million is not even close to $6 billion.
BTW, giving money directly to Palestinians is not even close to the same as giving money to Iran. Even the twisted scapegoating has to acknowledge that Iran had to trade oil for money. What were the Palestinians selling?
Probably the same thing that the Russians are selling since they are Brothers in Arms.
The absolute pretzel logic that has to be employed to blame trump for Biden releasing the 6 billion is beyond ridiculous, Biden supporters have to be gullible beyond belief to buy this bullshit.
Is it the same pretzel logic used to say American hostages of Humas are more important than American hostages of Iran? Is it different pretzel logic to claim the US should unequivocally support Israel, but not Ukraine? Tell us, George what does Russia have to say?
The Palestinians were selling natural gas and oil? And Israel refused to pay for the natural gas and oil like Ukraine refused to pay?
They're employing the Biergarten politics of brownshirts; that's where the pretzels come from.
Biden's response has been identical to both war in Ukraine and the terror attack on Israel: sanctions, military aid, deploy troops on the fringe of the fight as a show-of-force threat. Biden could be replaced with a pull-string talking doll. (Notice the empty holster?)
They are probably still thanking trump for the top secret Israel info they got and undoubtedly sold to Iran.
There is more word salad in those two comments than in a salad bar.
I totally agree.
Trump's giving money to the so-called "Palestinians" was one of his bigger mistakes.
"What were the Palestinians selling?"
What do they have worth selling?
Palestinians are grifters. That's why Democrats love 'em.
The Gaza strip is totally dependent upon Israel for electricity, water, food. So, who thought it was a good idea to attack Israel?
The Middle East has been extremely complicated for millennia.
The recent Hamas attack, however, lights a brand new fire.
Time for Gaza and Hamas to go away. This thorn can't exist.
Time for Israel to have secure borders or it will go nuclear.
Look at a map folks. Israel is between a rock and more rocks.
Time for Gaza and Hamas to go away. This thorn can't exist.
I agree in principle. But I wonder-- if Hamas were to totally disappear, would that end the problem? Given the hateful brainwashing Arab kids receive in the schools-- if you eliminate one terrorist group, another will appear. Most of the Arab world is so deeply saturated with religious hate toward non-Muslims that there really is no cure.
Time for Israel to have secure borders or it will go nuclear.
Ironically, while Israel could theoretically use nukes against Iran -- they really can't use nukes against Hamas. Why? Because they are so close (they directly border each other) that a nuke anywhere in Gaza would shower radiation over a tiny country like Israel.
Everyone give it up for Donald J Trump!
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Covfefe! Biggly...
Probably more than any other president in history, Trump demands absolute loyalty from his people. But the itrony is-- he doesn't feel the need to be loyal to them!
And not only Americans-- but also some of the U.S. best allies abroad:
Trump Betrayed the Kurds. He Couldn’t Help Himself.
Humiliating his own Cabinet secretaries was bad. Putting faithful American allies in harm’s way is far worse.
Trump went on a rant about Bibi and Israel today and of course, many of us remember clearly how he betrayed the Kurds who destroyed ISIS.
I heard an analyst say Trump is attacking Netanyahu because he's jealous that Netanyahu said a couple grateful things to Biden. Sounds about right.