As the war between Israel and the Islamic terrorist-backed group Hamas continues to rage on, the Biden administration has been slow to comment on the subject, prompting outrage from members of Congress and ordinary Americans.
On Sunday afternoon, the Biden administration announced that the President would be hosting a barbecue and not take questions from reporters on the ongoing war. On Monday, the White House called an early lid for reporters in the afternoon.
Speaking to Dana Bash on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked about the ongoing developments.
When the subject of the Islamic Republic of Iran's role in helping Hamas attack Israel came up, Secretary Blinken said that the administration "has not yet seen evidence that Iran directed or was behind this particular attack." Blinken said that there was a "long relationship" between the two.
Since Sunday, the Wall Street Journal and other media outlets have come out with reports revealing that Tehran directed Hamas to attack Israel and has been in contact with Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah to expand the conflict against Israel.
Bash also asked about the Biden administration's recent $6 billion hostage transfer to the Islamic Republic. Blinken, like many in the Biden administration, stated that such funds would be used for "humanitarian purposes." Blinken said that those who criticized the administration were "playing politics."
"No U.S. taxpayer dollars were involved. These were Iranian resources that Iran had accumulated from the sale of its oil that was stuck in a bank in South Korea. They have had from day one, under our law, under our sanctions, the right to use these monies for humanitarian purposes," Blinken said.
Blinken was asked again about this issue on MSNBC, stating that it was unfortunate that Iran has "always used and focused its funds on supporting terrorism."
Bash then asked Secretary Blinken about comments made by President Biden's top national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.
Speaking at The Atlantic Festival, Sullivan talked about developments in the Middle East as "positive," allowing the Biden administration to focus on other regions and problems. Sullivan noted that the truce in Yemen and attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against American forces had stopped. He described America's presence in Iraq as "stable." "The Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades," Sullivan said.
Blinken told CNN that what Jake Sullivan said, "was right." "If you look at the relationship among countries in the Middle East, you saw – with a lot of work by the U.S.– countries coming together, the region integrating, hostilities diminishing," he added.
In a now-deleted Tweet, Secretary Blinken stated that he was in contact with Turkey's foreign minister on Hamas and was encouraged by Turkey's "advocacy for a cease-fire and the release of all hostages held by Hamas immediately."
Despite the administration's blunders, the U.S. government is sending military aid to the state of Israel and developing its naval forces in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Islamic Republic of Iran has announced that if the U.S. supports Israel against Hamas, it will order its proxies in Iraq to attack U.S. forces.
Related Story: Here are the Concessions the Biden Admin Made to Iran in Years Leading Up to Hamas Attacks
