The Washington Post reported, citing sources, that American and Qatari officials agreed to prevent Iran from accessing a $6 billion account in which the funds were placed following a prisoner exchange deal between Washington and Tehran.

US officials and the Qatari government agreed to block Iran's access to a $6 billion account for humanitarian aid in light of Hamas' attack on Israel, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told House Democrats on Thursday, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The decision not to allow access to the funds comes a few weeks after the US and Iranian governments announced an agreement to provide humanitarian aid as part of a prisoner exchange deal aimed at easing hostilities in the region. US officials had to approve each transaction under the agreement, as the fund is financed from sales of... Iranian oil. US President Joe Biden faces increasing bipartisan pressure on Capitol Hill to prevent Iran from using funds, amid scrutiny of Tehran's relations with Hamas.

US officials say Hamas received weapons and training from Iran, but there is no evidence of Iran's direct role in the massacre, the Washington Post previously reported. Adeyemo told House Democrats that the money "is not going anywhere anytime soon," according to three Democratic aides. In the House, they spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal conversations.

Intelligence information

The United States has collected intelligence indicating that senior Iranian government officials were surprised by Saturday's Hamas attack on Israel, according to multiple sources familiar with the intelligence.

According to the American CNN network, the sources said that the presence of intelligence information cast doubt on the idea of Iran’s direct involvement in planning, providing resources for, or approving the operation.

The sources stressed that the US intelligence community is not ready to reach a complete conclusion about whether Tehran was directly involved in the period leading up to the attack, and they continue to search for evidence of Iranian involvement.

Since the attack, government officials have noted that Iran has provided significant and long-term support to Hamas, including weapons and financing, which undoubtedly contributed to Hamas' ability to carry out such a massive operation.

But the sources said that this intelligence information prompted American analysts to lean towards an initial assessment that the Iranian government did not play a direct role in the attack.