House Passes Bill to Re-Freeze Iranian Funds Unlocked by Biden Administration
• House passes bill to permanently freeze $6B in Iranian funds that Biden admin unlocked earlier this year in exchange for release of 5 detained Americans • Bill forces admin to sanction any foreign entity that tries to unfreeze funds for Iran • Republicans slam deal, say it rewards hostage-taking and enables Iranian aggression • White House defends deal, says funds can only be used for humanitarian purposes and were necessary to free Americans • Tensions heightened after Iran-backed Hamas invaded Israel in October, killed 1,200 people; Iran has not yet accessed frozen funds