TEHRAN — The United States has agreed to release Iranian funds frozen in Qatar and other foreign banks, a senior Iranian source said, in what Tehran sees as a sign of Washington’s seriousness about reaching a settlement during ongoing talks in Islamabad, Reuters reported.
The Iranian source, who asked not to be named, told Reuters the release of the assets was tied directly to ensuring safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The source said the Strait of Hormuz had emerged as a key issue in the Islamabad talks, and the move on the frozen funds could help advance the process.
The source did not specify how much money the United States had agreed to release. But a second Iranian source said Washington had agreed to release about $6 billion in Iranian funds held in Qatar.
The United States has not issued any official statement on the matter, and Qatar’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond.
Funds frozen for eight years
The $6 billion was frozen in 2018. It was supposed to have been released in 2023 as part of a US-Iran prisoner swap. But after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel that year and given Iran’s ties to Hamas, the administration of then-President Joe Biden froze the money again.
At the time, the United States said Iran could not use the funds for an indefinite period and that Washington retained the right to block them entirely if necessary.
The funds mainly came from Iran’s oil sales to South Korea, where the proceeds had been held in South Korean banks. After President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran during his first term in 2018, the money was frozen and the nuclear deal between Tehran and the world powers was scrapped.
Prisoner swap and conditional use
The funds were transferred to a bank in Qatar in September 2023 under a Doha-mediated prisoner swap. The deal also freed five US citizens detained in Iran in exchange for the release of five Iranians held in the United States.
The United States said at the time that the money could be used only for humanitarian purposes — food, medicine, medical equipment and agricultural goods — and only through suppliers approved by the US Treasury Department.
Analysts said that if the release of the funds is finalized in the Islamabad talks, it could ease tensions over the Strait of Hormuz and open the way to a broader settlement.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report