Iran says US ‘can not renege’ on deal to transfer $6bn via Qatar

TEHRAN: Iran said the United States “can not renege” on an agreement to transfer $6 billion in frozen funds through mediator Qatar following Hamas´ bloody assault on Israel.

Tehran, which financially and militarily backs Hamas, has come under intense scrutiny since fighters of the Islamist group stormed across Israel´s southern border at the weekend, shooting people in their homes and on the streets in an onslaught that claimed more than 1,300 lives.

Iran has insisted it was not involved, but celebrated the Hamas attack as a “success”. Israel has responded to the attack by pounding Hamas targets in the blockaded Gaza Strip, killing nearly 1,800 people in the impoverished Palestinian territory of over 2.4 million people.

“The US government knows that it can NOT renege on the agreement,” Ali Karimi Magham, spokesperson of Iran´s permanent mission to the United Nations, said late on Thursday in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“The money rightfully belongs to the people of Iran, earmarked for the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to facilitate the acquisition of all essential requisites for the Iranians,” he added.

The transfer of the frozen funds from South Korea to Europe and later to Qatar was part of a deal that saw the United States and Iran exchange five prisoners last month. Qatar said on Friday it was committed to the deal.

“Qatar is committed to an agreement and will fulfil its obligations and will not do anything without consultations with our partners,” Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a joint news conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Doha.