US and Qatar agree to block Iran's access to $6 billion in funds from prisoner swap

The U.S. and Qatar on Thursday agreed to stop Iran from accessing $6 billion in funds that were transferred to Qatar as part of a prisoner exchange last month. 

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told House Democrats that Iran would no longer be able to access the funds, according to multiple news reports.

The move comes as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been trying to stop Iran from accessing the funds following the brutal attack on Israel over the weekend by Hamas, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization that controls the Gaza Strip.

More than 1,300 Israelis, including at least 27 U.S. citizens, were killed Saturday when Hamas invaded. 

The money being frozen is what South Korea had planned on paying Tehran for oil until the U.S. issued sanctions on Iran in 2019. The money was transferred to Qatar for Iran last month after five Americans in Iran were exchanged with five Iranians.

Follow Madeleine Hubbard on X or Instagram.