Biden fails to mention Iran or the $6 billion of the regime’s assets he unfroze as he finally addresses nation following Hamas atrocity

President Joe Biden did not mention Iran by name in his address to the nation on Tuesday, instead offering a blanket warning to any state or actor seeking to take advantage of the situation in Israel as it prepares to respond to Hamas’ brazen terror attack.

“Let me say again, any country, any organization, anyone who thinks to take advantage of the situation. I have one word: no,” Biden said.

He made the comment calling the October 7 surprise attack “unadulterated evil” as his administration returns to the intelligence feed to see if Iran or its proxies aided the effort. The White House reiterated its assessment that it cannot confirm that Iran helped in the attack.

Biden also did not mention the deal that unfroze $6 billion in Iranian assets in a deal that freed five Americans — although his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, has received several questions about it at the White House.

President Biden called Hamas’ attack on Israel “unadulterated evil” in a speech that did not specifically name Iran, which the administration says has supported Hamas for years.

“We have said from the beginning that Iran is complicit in this attack in the broadest sense because it has provided the lion’s share of funding for the military wing of Hamas, it has provided training, it has provided capabilities, it has provided support and they have committed to engaging with Hamas for years,” Sullivan said.

“And all of that has played a role in contributing to what we’ve seen. Now as to the question of whether Iran knew in advance of this attack or helped plan or direct this attack, we do not have, as I stand here on the podium, confirmation.”

But he said the government was talking to the Israelis about it and was “looking back through our intelligence services” for information.

Sullivan was tight-lipped when asked if the administration regretted the prisoner swap in light of the attack.

“The United States is not sorry to bring home American citizens wrongfully detained abroad, as I said before, the President has no higher priority than bringing Americans home,” he said. ‘Right now. We have Americans being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. This is a high priority, getting these Americans back from Iran has been a high priority from Afghanistan, from Venezuela, from other places. And we stand by bringing these people home because that’s the duty of the commander-in-chief to get innocent Americans out of captivity in places where they’re being held unjustly.”

“Iran is complicit in this attack in the broadest sense,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at the White House.

The president met with his security team in the Situation Room, as seen in a photo provided by the White House

Biden is facing pressure from Republican senators to re-impose a $6 billion freeze on Iranian funds after Hamas’s brutal terror attack on Israel this weekend.

The Iranian regime had access to the money as part of a recent deal that freed American hostages, and the funds were supposed to be used for humanitarian purposes.

But Republicans say it could allow Tehran to “reallocate” resources to finance further terror attacks.

Hamas continued to fire rockets into Israel from Gaza on Tuesday, following a coordinated attack on Saturday that killed more than 900 Israelis and raised immediate suspicion of foreign support.

Israel is preparing a possible ground invasion in response to the attacks.

“To stand by and allow Iran access to these funds as Hamas infiltrates Israel and murders, rapes and maims countless Israelis is unconscionable,” 20 Republican Senators He wrote Biden on Monday.

“Your government claims that these funds are only available for humanitarian use, but the money is fungible and there is a significant risk that it will be used to further Iran’s or Hamas’ efforts against Israel.”

Allowing the funds to flow into Iran’s economy “allows the Iranian regime to redistribute even more funds to support terrorism,” they added, saying oversight of the funds “is not enough.”

GOP senators call on President Joe Biden to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian funds over concern they could be used to finance Hamas terror operations

White House says there is ‘complicity’ over Iran’s support for Hamas, but says there are facts to prove Saturday’s operation

The letter is signed by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Thom Tillis (RN.C.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), as well as Minority Whip Sen. John Thune (RS.D.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)

They are demanding the administration rescind exemptions that allowed funding to flow to Qatar as part of a deal that freed five Americans held in Iran.

The deal was completed last month. After Hamas attacked Israel, the Biden administration was forced to explain that the funding, which was already controversial, had not yet been released.

The letter is signed by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Thom Tillis (RN.C.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), as well as Minority Whip Sen. John Thune (RS.D.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

In public comments this week, the administration walked a fine line — saying it had no information indicating Iran’s support for the attack, while acknowledging its past support for Hamas and terrorist groups.

“There is a degree of complicity here, but Iran has been supporting Hamas for many, many years – tools, training, capabilities – certainly rhetorically, but in much more tangible ways than that,” said White House national security spokesman John Kirby. ‘So, definitely, there is a degree of complicity here writ large.’

“We said, we haven’t – and we’re looking at the information flows. We have seen no hard, tangible evidence that Iran was directly involved in participating or in providing the resources and planning for these complex attacks that Hamas carried out over the weekend,” he said.

He said the administration “will continue to look into it. Our Israeli counterparts are also actively looking, and even they have publicly stated that they don’t see the quote, unquote smoking gun.”

Kirby and other officials declined to confirm a Wall Street Journal story that Iran helped plan the attack and gave the go-ahead during a meeting in Beirut last Monday.