Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi appeared in an interview with NBC to discuss the prisoner swap between Iran and the United States.
Whereas Biden said the $6 billion to be transferred to Iran will be used for “humanitarian purposes,” Raisi said the money will be spent “wherever we need it.”
“This money belongs to the Islamic Republic of Iran and naturally, the Islamic Republic of Iran will decide to spend it wherever we need it,” he said.
“The needs of the Iranian people will be determined by the Iranian government,” Raisi added.
The funds were previously frozen in South Korea.
Although Raisi said the American prisoners were in good condition, the prisoners’ families have said the individuals were mistreated, held in solitary confinement, or beaten.
Reporting from The National Pulse:
Under Biden’s 9/11 agreement with the Islamic Republic, Iran will gain access to approximately $6 billion of oil revenues that were held in South Korean banks due to U.S. sanctions. The funds will be overseen by Qatar’s central bank. The Biden government has taken steps to facilitate the transfer and informed Congress on Monday that a waiver has been issued to allow international banks to transfer the funds to Qatar without the threat of U.S. sanctions.
