U.S. and Qatar Reach Agreement on Iranian Funds

The United States and Qatar have reached an agreement that the Qataris will not act on any request from Tehran for the time being to access USD 6 billion in Iranian funds that were unblocked as part of a prisoner swap last month, a U.S. official said Thursday.

US: No Funds Spent by Iran

U.S. officials have pushed back against criticism of the deal, noting that the money had yet to be spent by Iran and can only be used for humanitarian needs. "None of the funds that have now gone to Qatar have actually been spent or accessed in any way by Iran,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Israel on Thursday when asked about the funds.

US Support for Israel

The White House has said it has yet to uncover information that Iran was directly involved in the multipronged Hamas operation — the biggest attack on Israel in decades. Even so, Iran is the principal financial and military sponsor of Hamas. U.S. officials have said their intelligence does not show a direct role by Iran and have not pointed blame at Tehran.

As Israel prepares to escalate retaliatory action against Hamas militants for the weekend attacks, the White House announced the U.S. government will begin evacuation flights on Friday for Americans who want to leave Israel.

Evacuation of Americans

The White House confirmed that the death toll in the fighting now includes at least 27 Americans, while 14 more U.S. citizens in Israel remain unaccounted for. The White House has said a "handful” of Americans are among the dozens of people that Hamas took hostage. U.S. officials estimate 1,60,000-1,70,000 Americans are in Israel, as residents, tourists or in some other capacity. An estimated 500 to 600 American citizens are in Gaza, including people who have been working as humanitarian workers or visiting relatives.

Biden Meets With Officials

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who joined from Air Force Two en route to Las Vegas met on Thursday with senior administration officials to discuss efforts to safeguard the U.S., including Jewish, Arab and Muslim communities, following the Hamas attacks in Israel.

Supplemental Aid Package

Biden administration officials have been speaking with lawmakers about the contours of a supplemental aid package as it continues to determine Israel’s needs. Some key Republicans, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, have advocated for a larger package that would lump in funding for Ukraine, Taiwan and border security along with Israel aid, and the White House has started to prepare such a package, according to an official familiar with the deliberations.

The White House has indicated that it will send the new request to lawmakers next week, when both chambers are back in Washington.