The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a nonpartisan research institution based in Washington focused on national security and U.S. foreign policy, reports that the Biden administration has permitted the transfer of $2.76 billion from Iraq to Iran. The site's senior advisor, Richard Goldberg, commented: "There is enough evidence on the surface to suspect that the release of Iraqi funds to Iran is somehow related to the indirect nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran mediated by the Omanis. It is essential that there is an official deal in place for the administration to negotiate an agreement as outlined in U.S. law. To grant a waiver for sanction relief tied to a request to halt higher levels of enrichment would be a deliberate evasion of the mandatory congressional review."