U.S. Secretly Approved Qatar-Iran Payments for Safe Passage Through Hormuz

Key Facts

Published: June 15, 2026 Location: Jerusalem Source: Israel Hayom

• Israel Hayom reported that the U.S. secretly approved a Qatar-Iran arrangement involving billions of dollars in exchange for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
• The arrangement reportedly allowed Qatar to protect its tankers and energy infrastructure while giving Tehran a critical financial lifeline.
• Talks over a broader U.S.-Iran memorandum have reportedly stalled over frozen funds, enriched uranium, and the future of enrichment.

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – The United States secretly approved a financial and maritime arrangement between Qatar and Iran that allowed billions of dollars to flow to Tehran in exchange for safe passage for Qatari tankers and ships through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report by Israel Hayom.

The report, citing three diplomatic officials, said the arrangement was approved roughly a month ago as Washington sought to ease pressure on global energy markets and prevent oil prices from climbing further. Under the arrangement, the U.S. Navy reportedly turned a blind eye while Qatar provided Iran with financial relief, even as Washington publicly maintained that it was enforcing pressure on Tehran’s maritime exports and imports.

According to the report, some payments were disguised as tanker passage fees through the Strait of Hormuz, while Qatar also opened a credit line of up to $1 billion for Iranian purchases of goods through Doha. Iran also reportedly demanded access to portions of its deposits held in Qatar.

The arrangement served Qatar’s interest in securing calm for its energy infrastructure after Iranian attacks during the war raised fears in Doha of further strikes. While several Gulf states faced missile or drone threats after the ceasefire, Qatar reportedly remained protected after helping provide financial relief to Tehran.

The report comes as the United Arab Emirates has strongly denied separate claims that it agreed to unfreeze billions of dollars in Iranian funds. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday that allegations of such an arrangement were “entirely false and unfounded,” insisting that “no frozen Iranian funds have been released, transferred, or facilitated through the UAE.”

The UAE denial followed a Reuters report citing four unnamed sources who claimed Abu Dhabi had agreed to make Iranian funds available as part of a strategic adjustment after attacks targeting Emirati military facilities and infrastructure since the U.S.-led conflict began Feb. 28. According to Reuters, Iran has not launched projectiles at the UAE during the past week, while neighboring Kuwait and Bahrain have come under attack.

Reuters reported that two sources said the UAE had agreed to release about $10 billion, including more than $3 billion already transferred. Two other sources said the total amount involved could reach $20 billion and was tied to a halt in Iranian strikes against the UAE. Reuters said it could not determine whether the money belonged to the UAE, came from Iranian assets frozen in the Emirati banking system, or originated from other blocked accounts.

The dispute highlights the shadow financial channels that have long shaped Iran’s relationship with Gulf states. Dubai has served for years as a major hub for Iranian businesses seeking ways around Western sanctions, with analysts warning that shell companies, free-trade zones, and informal money-transfer networks have helped Tehran move revenue linked to oil sales, military activity, and regional proxy groups.

U.S. officials have repeatedly pressed the UAE to tighten enforcement against those networks. In recent years, the Treasury Department has sanctioned several UAE-based entities, arguing that enforcement has not always matched public commitments to restrict Iran’s access to global finance.

Israel Hayom reported that the Qatar arrangement helped lay the groundwork for a broader U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding now under discussion. However, talks have reportedly stalled over Iran’s demand for the immediate release of $12 billion frozen in Qatar, Tehran’s refusal to make a firm written commitment on enriched uranium, and its unwillingness to discuss the future of enrichment.

The revelation raises fresh questions over whether Washington’s pressure campaign against Iran was weakened by parallel Gulf channels that gave Tehran economic relief at a moment of severe financial strain. Critics are likely to argue that any release of billions to the Iranian regime risks strengthening the same Revolutionary Guard infrastructure and proxy networks that have destabilized the region for decades.

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