UAE agrees to unlock billions for Iran amid de-escalation talks

Two regional sources say the Gulf Arab state has agreed to release a total of $10 billion; the UAE ocially denies the reports, calling claims of any $3 billion transfer ‘entirely false and unfounded’; Vance says funds won’t be released for signing a deal

The UAE is moving to unlock billions of dollars for Iran as part of a coordinated regional effort to de-escalate military tensions in the Middle East. Abu Dhabi has agreed to orchestrate a financial package valued between $10 billion and $20 billion, with over $3 billion reportedly already transferred to Iranian custody. The funds, which coincide with the final phases of broader, volatile peace talks between Tehran and Washington, are designed to serve as a financial off-ramp.

Word of UAE move to seek de-escalation coincides with ‌the final stages of broader negotiations

The source, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters that unfreezing the assets was ‘directly linked to ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz’, a key issue in talks aimed at ending the conflict.

Two sources said the UAE had agreed to release $10 billion to Iran, although it is unclear whether the funds belonged to the UAE or were from long-blocked Iranian accounts.

DUBAI/LONDON: The United Arab Emirates has agreed to unlock billions of dollars for Iran, four sources said, in a tactical shift after weeks of ​Iranian attacks on the wealthy Gulf Arab state during the U.S.-Israeli ​war with the Islamic Republic.Word of the move, which has not been previously reported, coincides with the final stages of broader negotiations between ​Tehran and Washington on ending the war, talks that diplomats say could involve the release of tens of billions of dollars in Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks under U.S. sanctions.Two regional sources told Reuters the UAE had agreed to release a total of $10 billion, more than $3 billion of which had already been delivered.Also read: UAE and Iran conduct first face-to-face meeting to try deescalating Middle East tensionsTwo other sources with knowledge of the arrangement put the total funds involved at $20 billion, adding that the move ‌had been agreed in return ⁠for a ⁠halt to Iranian attacks on the UAE. One of the sources with knowledge of the arrangement also said a first tranche of $3 billion had already been made available.Reuters could not establish whether the funds earmarked for the transfers belong to ​the UAE or originate in long-blocked Iranian accounts in the UAE banking system, or elsewhere.But a UAE official, asked to comment on the transfer, said the country was trying to ease tension and foster ​peace."The UAE's foreign policy is guided by promoting de-escalation and reducing tensions across the region, while advancing lasting peace and stability," the official said. "The UAE supports efforts, including those undertaken by the United States, to protect the peoples of the region from the repercussions of conflict."IRAN LAST ATTACKED THE UAE DIRECTLY ON MAY 4The White House did not immediately respond to a request ​for comment on the move.In Washington, Vice President JD Vance said on Friday that funds would not be released to ⁠Iran for signing ‌a deal with the U.S. or attending a meeting, adding that the potential deal is structured to ensure that economic benefits would flow to Tehran ​if it meets its obligations.There ​was no immediate response from Iranian authorities to a Reuters request for comment on the move.None of the sources cited in this article would ⁠agree to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.The arrangement signals a striking pivot from ​the open animosity of UAE-Iran relations through much of the war, when Iranian attacks emptied Dubai's hotels, drove some expatriates to ​flee and shook the reputation for safety that is central to the country's position as a premier business hub.One of the sources with knowledge of the arrangement said the move offered a way to help solve the conflict between the U.S. and Iran without either side crossing its red line: Iran can claim it extracted compensation for war damages, Washington can insist it paid nothing, and Abu Dhabi obtains its own security and Dubai's hub status, while framing the move as an investment in rebuilding regional trust.The other source with knowledge of the arrangement said that in return for the disbursement, Iran would halt missile and drone attacks on the UAE, and there would be a rebuilding of bilateral ties, including intelligence sharing and economic cooperation.The source added ‌that Iran had approached at least two other Gulf Arab countries to make a similar arrangement.The last known direct attack by Iran on the UAE was more than a month ago - a May 4 strike on the Gulf state's Fujairah port on the Gulf of Oman.The first source with knowledge of ​the arrangement said talks had ​started several weeks ago but quickened pace when ⁠officials of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards visited Abu Dhabi last week to meet Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed al Nahyan, the UAE's national security adviser and deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi, and stayed at his guest house.That trip was followed by a visit by UAE officials to Tehran to negotiate the details of the mechanism.SIZEABLE IRANIAN ASSETS IN DUBAIThe UAE-Iranian arrangement is set ​to unfold against a complex financial backdrop potentially involving Dubai, the UAE's main commercial hub and one of Tehran's most critical economic lifelines.Dubai's banks have long held substantial Iranian-linked deposits, much of them now immobilized under U.S. sanctions that police the global dollar-clearing system and expose any foreign bank dealing with blacklisted Iranian entities to being cut off from the American financial network.On April 11, a senior Iranian source said the U.S. had agreed to release Iranian frozen assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks, although a U.S. official swiftly denied the assertion.The source, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters that unfreezing the assets was "directly linked to ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz", a key issue in talks aimed at ending the conflict.