U.S. officials and the Qatari government have agreed to prevent Iran from accessing a $6 billion account for humanitarian aid in light of Hamas's attack on the occupying state, according to Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo's statement to House Democrats on Thursday, October 12, 2023.

Adeyemo informed House Democrats that the funds "will not go anywhere soon," according to three Democratic aides in the House who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions, according to the "Washington Post."

Senators from both parties, including Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (Democrat from Ohio), have also urged the Biden administration to retract the agreement.

In response to a question about the push to freeze the aid, Iran’s mission to the United Nations stated, "The concerned senators and the U.S. government fully understand that they cannot backtrack on the agreement."

It also added that "these funds rightfully belong to the Iranian people and are designated for the Islamic Republic of Iran to facilitate access to all basic and non-sanctioned necessities for Iranians."

For his part, Trita Parsi, the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a foreign policy think tank, stated that canceling the aid would encourage hardline voices in Iran that have rejected working with the West.

Parsi also speculated that such a move could shift opinion within the regime in favor of building a nuclear bomb.