• Supreme Leader Tells Qatar To Release Oil Revenues: Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said, during a February 19 meeting with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Tehran, that Qatar should release Iranian oil revenues frozen in a Doha bank. Khamenei urged Al Thani to “resist” U.S. pressure and “return Iran’s assets,” according to Iranian state media.
• Biden Administration Issued Sanctions Waiver in 2023 for Hostage Release: The United States and Iran reached a deal in August 2023 for Tehran to free five Iranian-American dual nationals in exchange for the release of several Iranians from U.S. jails and the unfreezing of approximately $6 billion in South Korean payments for Iranian oil. Following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, atrocities in Israel, the United States and Qatar agreed to prevent Iran from accessing these previously released funds amid U.S. scrutiny of Iran’s support for the Palestinian terrorist organization.
• Iran Seeks to ‘Expand Relations’ With Qataris: Despite the dispute over Iran’s frozen oil revenues, Khamenei insisted that the Islamic Republic considers Qatar a “friend and brother.” During his visit, Al Thani also met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has reportedly made it a policy of his administration to expand “ties with neighbors.” The Qatari emir reportedly said that the two nations would “soon establish a joint commission to increase the volume of bilateral trade.”
“Khamenei’s request rewinds the tapes to the hostage story that dominated headlines shortly before the October 7 atrocities. The $6 billion that Iran wants to access was paid by the United States as ransom for five American citizens. Qatar helped broker the deal. This is a story we’ve seen play out time and again: Qatar moving people for terrorists and their sponsors in exchange for Western concessions. When it’s not Iran, it’s Hamas. When it’s not Hamas, it’s the Taliban.” — Natalie Ecanow, Senior Research Analyst
“Desperate to revive its faltering economy, Tehran has resorted to hostage-taking and extortion as tools to unlock financial resources, fueling both its nuclear ambitions and global terror network. To counter this, the administration’s decision to halt sanction waivers that bolster the regime must also ensure Iran is deprived of the funds it seeks.” — Janatan Sayeh, Research Analyst
“New Al Jazeera Program Reveals Coordinated Effort With Hamas To Reshape October 7 Narrative,” FDD Flash Brief
“With Qatar, the Biden Administration Left Cards on the Table. Trump Should Play Them.” By Natalie Ecanow
“Why Does Qatar Keep Helping Terrorists?” by Jonathan Schanzer and Natalie Ecanow
“Iranian Foreign Minister Meets With Hamas and Qatari Leaders as Support for Proxies Persists,” FDD Flash Brief