The Biden administration’s plan to exchange five Americans for six billion dollars of Iran’s frozen assets held in South Korea has been criticized and warned that the money will be used to fund terror operations.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran placed four Americans under house arrest late last week from Evin Prison. A fifth was already in house arrest.

We will continue to closely monitor their condition. We will not stop until all of them are back in the United States, White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a press release.

The New York Times reports that the deal involves the transfer of almost $6 billion in Iranian assets to a central bank account in Qatar, where they will be used for “humanitarian purchase” purposes.

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John Kirby, White House spokesperson, told CBS News the deal would not relieve sanctions, but only allow Iran to use funds for humanitarian needs, like food and medicine.

According to Shannon Bream, Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday”, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told Fox News host Shannon Bream that the money was “to prop up their proxy wars, terror operations, as well as their nuclear bomb ambitions.”

According to WSJ, the Iranian Foreign Ministry in Tehran said that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for deciding how to use the unfrozen assets. The critics argue that money can be fungible and the “humanitarian purpose” line is just a political excuse to justify the deal of money for hostages.

The Daily Wire reported that the prisoner exchange also included the release of Iranian criminals who were convicted of evading the sanctions against Iran. The Daily Wire said the Americans would only be allowed to depart once the funds had been transferred into the Qatari bank account and will then be flown directly to Doha, the capital of Qatar.

In an editorial in the WSJ, the Biden administration said that it had sent more aircraft, 3,000 Marines, and Navy personnel to the Middle East in order to prevent Iranian seizure of commercial ships. It also added that some funds could be used to finance Shiite militias that are active in Iraq and have killed Americans, or to build missiles and drones that Russia can use against Ukraine.

The WSJ editors commented that the Biden Administration is keen to avoid putting negotiations with Iran at the forefront of political agendas as the presidential elections approach.

Switzerland, Qatar, and Oman all helped facilitate the negotiations. According to a source familiar with the negotiations, the Swiss ambassador in Tehran will be able to have full access to Americans who are under house arrest.

The hostages are Siamak Nazi, who was arrested in 2015 under charges of cooperating against a hostile government, Morad Tahbaz (who was jailed for spying in 2018), and Emad Shargi (who will be sentenced to 10 years in prison without trial for espionage in 2020). Two other hostages – including a woman – have requested that their identities remain secret.

The news outlet reported that former Vice President Mike Pence, Republican presidential candidate, also criticised the agreement. He said, “Iran is now using this money to fund terrorism and produce drones for Russia,” according to the report.