A number of Democrats facing battleground Senate races are calling on President Biden to again freeze $6 billion in Iranian funds following Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Since Hamas launched fatal attacks on Israel Saturday, many lawmakers have questioned the Biden administration for its decision to unfreeze $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds as part of a previous prisoner swap with Iran. Many critics say that the funds may have freed up resources for Iran’s military spending and support of Hamas.
There’s been pushback from both the left and the right, but a growing number of Democrats in battleground states are now calling on the administration to refreeze the funds. Democratic Sens. Jon Tester (Mont.) and Joe Manchin (W.Va.) are just two lawmakers facing tough reelections in 2024 who have called on the administration to immediately “freeze” the $6 billion.
“As American intelligence officials continue to investigate the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas, we should review our options to hold Iran accountable for any support they may have provided,” Tester said in a Tuesday statement. “At a minimum, we should immediately freeze the $6 billion in Iranian assets and explore other financial tools we have at our disposal.”
Manchin reiterated the same day that he did not support the prisoner deal in the first place and that the U.S. should freeze those assets as well as consider other sanctions.
The prisoner deal last month included the Biden administration granting clemency to five Iranians and issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to allow the transfer of $6 billion of Iranian oil sale proceeds, frozen in South Korea, to a bank in Qatar. The U.S. had frozen the funds when relations between the two countries faltered.
Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) said that the funds “should remain frozen until we can determine whether Iran played a role in the attack and what the appropriate U.S. response should be,” and he called out Republicans for spreading misleading information about the situation.
“Republican politicians should stop intentionally misleading the American people about this serious matter. None of the sanctions funds have been transferred to Iran,” he said in his statement.
Nevada Democratic Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto also voiced support for freezing the $6 billion, The Nevada Independent reported. Biden carried Nevada in the 2020 election, beating former President Trump by about 33,000 votes.
Reps. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who are running for Senate seats in their respective states, called on Biden Wednesday to freeze the funds as well.
“The longstanding financial, material, and weapons support from Iran to Hamas is significant – and we know at minimum that the Iranian regime is seeking to take advantage of Hamas’ attack against Israel. Based on what I heard today in our classified briefing, I believe we need to hit pause button on any release of the funds that were part of this deal,” Slotkin said in a statement.
“As we learn more about Iran’s role in these horrific terrorist attacks against Israel, one thing is clear: we should immediately freeze the $6 billion in assets and use available tools to discourage Iran’s illicit conduct. Our ally Israel is at war, and while the conflict continues, we must stand united,” Gallego said in his statement.
The Biden administration has emphasized that Iran has not spent any of these funds set to be unfrozen, noting that they can only be used for food, medicine and other humanitarian goods.
Deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer said earlier this week that Iran was “broadly complicit” in the Hamas attack on Israel over the weekend but noted that it was not clear whether Tehran was directly involved. He said that Iran was “without a doubt” indirectly responsible for backing and training Hamas.
“In terms of broad complicity, we are very clear about a role for Iran,” Finer told CBS. “What we have not seen yet at this moment, although we are continuing to look at it very closely, is any sort of direct involvement in the immediate attacks.”
Updated 9:29 p.m.