Sen. Tom Cotton (R-LA) criticized the Biden administration for its justification of the $6 billion deal with Iran, which has come under the scrutiny of Republican lawmakers in the wake of Hamas's attack on Israel last weekend.

The deal saw five prisoners from both the United States and Iran being swapped, along with the unfreezing of $6 billion in Iranian assets, which the Biden administration has defended. Cotton argued that arguments from the Biden administration, including from National Security Council coordinator John Kirby, are "so unpersuasive and so disingenuous" and that they are only offered "in bad faith."

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"Everybody knows that Iran got $6 billion in ransom, and as you said, Shannon, that $6 billion freed up $6 billion that otherwise would have gone to purposes," Cotton said. "They got $10 billion in payments through Iraq that this administration approved. They got over $40 billion of relief in just refusal to enforce to the max the oil sanctions on Iran, so this administration has emboldened Iran time and time again."

Going forward, Cotton said that the administration's immediate goal should be to find any American-Israeli residents being held hostage by Hamas, as well as Hamas's "total destruction."

The White House has stood by its decision to unfreeze the $6 billion in Iranian assets, with national security adviser Jake Sullivan explaining that President Joe Biden "has no higher priority than to get Americans home."

"Right now, we have Americans who are being held hostage by Hamas and Gaza," Sullivan said on Tuesday. "That is a high priority. Bringing those Americans home from Iran was a high priority from Afghanistan, from Venezuela, from other places as well, and we stand by bringing those people home because that is the duty of the commander in chief — to get innocent Americans out of captivity in places that they are being unjustly detained."

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On Thursday, Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) introduced legislation that would refreeze the funds Biden agreed to transfer from South Korea to Qatar. The bill is co-led by Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern (R-OK), Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI).

The main concern that Republican lawmakers have over the $6 billion in assets is that it could help fuel Hamas's attack against Israel. Republican senators have also asked the Biden administration to freeze the Qatari bank accounts housing the $6 billion in Iranian funds, according to a request led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).