Tasnim: Iran seeks release of frozen assets under potential US deal

A potential memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States could include the phased release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets during the negotiation process, Tasnim News Agency reports, citing a source close to the talks.

According to the report, Tehran expects to gain access to half of the funds immediately after the memorandum is officially announced, while the remaining amount would be transferred over the course of a 60-day negotiation period.

The report also stated that the recent visit of Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to Qatar focused on securing access to the first tranche of $12 billion and addressing obstacles related to the transfer of the funds.

“Considering previous experiences with agreements on unlocking Iranian funds in South Korea and Qatar, emphasis was placed on ensuring that the implementation stages are monitored with maximum precision in order to avoid repeating past difficulties. It was precisely on the basis of previous experience that this visit was made, so as to prevent disruptions in access to these sums, and in this respect the trip produced good results,” the source said.

The publication also cited another informed source responding to remarks by a spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, who had stated that Doha was not providing any funds as guarantees for a possible agreement between Tehran and Washington.

According to the source quoted by Tasnim, the Qatari statement was “generally accurate,” as the funds discussed in Doha belong to Iran and are not linked to any guarantees associated with a potential agreement.

The source added that Tehran is pursuing the return of the assets with “full care and strictness,” taking into account previous experiences involving the release of Iranian funds held abroad.

By Vafa Guliyeva