Biden Administration Denies Allegations It Helped Fund Hamas Attack On Israel By Returning Money To Iran

On Tuesday, the Biden administration was forceful in its denial of the allegations that part of the $6 billion it sent to Iran last month may have been used to fund the recent attack by Hamas militants on Israel.

While extending support to Israel and clearly condemning the Hamas attack that took place on Saturday, the administration’s spokespersons insisted that the deal with Iran was meant to secure the release of American citizens in Iran and did not facilitate Hamas’s crimes.

“Let’s be clear: the deal to bring U.S. citizens home from Iran has nothing to do with the horrific attack on Israel,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement issued on Saturday.

These clarifications by the administration come against the backdrop of several commentators as well as Republican lawmakers’ claims that the Biden administration helped fund the Hamas war on Israel.

“Not a penny has been spent, and when it is, it can only go for humanitarian needs like food and medicine. Anything to the contrary is false,” Miller said.

Other government officials have been issuing similar clarifications, both in public and private.

In a statement, White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said: “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. These funds have absolutely nothing to do with the horrific attacks today and this is not the time to spread disinformation.”

The allegations are being taken seriously by several quarters since Wall Street Journal reported that Iran facilitated Saturday’s attack and was planning it while talking to the United States about the hostage deal.

A Hamas spokesman claimed that Iran’s government backed the militant group’s assault.