In
return, Iran will release five US prisoners who have already been moved to
house arrest in Tehran. The US is also releasing five Iranian prisoners as
part of the deal.
The Biden administration has stressed that the unfrozen
funds will only be used for humanitarian reasons and that Qatar will monitor
the money.
But Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Iran will spend the
released funds wherever we need it.
"This money belongs to the Iranian people, the Iranian
government, so the Islamic Republic of Iran will decide what to do with this
money,” he told NBC News.
Since the prisoners in Iran were moved to house arrest last
month, Republicans have raised numerous concerns about the deal.
Senator Tom Cotton said the US was paying ransom to the world's
state sponsor of terrorism, calling it shameful.
On Truth Social, former President Trump called
Biden a fool and said the unfrozen funds will be used for terrorism all
over the Middle East, and, indeed, the World.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob
Menendez also expressed concerns about encouraging adversarial
nations to take more hostages in the future.
Adrienne
Watson, a White House National Security council spokesperson, said
the administration is working to release wrongfully held Americans and the deal
remains a sensitive and ongoing process.
