Iran says it will be the only party to decide how its frozen assets are used once they are unfrozen under a US-Iranian agreement being negotiated to help end the Middle East war. Iranian state media report that, under the talks, Washington would release about $12 billion in frozen funds to Iran and temporarily suspend sanctions affecting Iranian oil exports. In comments reported by the outlets, Ali Bahreini, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, rejects US assertions about how the money could or would be used. He says Iran alone will determine what Tehran does with the funds once they are defrosted.
The Iranian position is presented as a direct response to US Vice President JD Vance, who said on Monday that Iranian assets have not yet been unfrozen under the deal. Vance also indicated that, if unfrozen, the funds could be used for purchases such as US goods and would not be intended to fund terrorism. Across the two reports, the central points remain the same: the talks involve the proposed release of $12 billion and a temporary oil-related sanctions suspension, while Iran insists on control over the use of any unfrozen funds.
