Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that half of the $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar will soon be “released and transferred back to Iran,” with the fate of the other half yet to be determined.
Pezeshkian described the $6 billion in assets to be released under Iran’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States as the spoils of war, collected from a defeated enemy, as reported by Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA):
[Pezeshkian] said that despite the martyrdom of senior officials, military commanders, prominent figures, and students during the recent war imposed by the US and the Israeli regime, Iran’s public, the armed forces, and the government acted together to prevent the country’s adversaries from achieving their objectives.
Pezeshkian said the United States and the Israeli regime had sought to destabilize Iran through economic pressure and attacks on key infrastructure, including gas production facilities, steel plants, and the petrochemical sector, while also attempting to restrict Iranian oil exports. He said these efforts failed due to public support and national unity.
Describing the recent Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US as a major victory for the Iranian people, the president said it includes the removal of sanctions on Iran’s oil and petrochemical sectors.
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The Iranian president also crowed about the U.S. forcing “the Israeli regime” to accept the MOU’s terms on Lebanon. He repeated Iran’s standard line about not being interested in nuclear weapons, and yet determined to continue enriching uranium far beyond any conceivable peaceful purpose, to “meet national needs within its declared policies.”
The dissident-run IranWire interrupted Pezeshkian’s victory dance to point out that he “did not provide further details regarding the timeline for the transfer, how Iran will access these funds, or the exact mechanism for returning the money.”
The Hill likewise noted that Qatar has not said much about releasing Iranian funds since Iran attacked one of its ships, the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Kiku, on Saturday.
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President Donald Trump said on Monday that talks with Iran would be held in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday, but the Iranian regime denied that any such negotiations would take place.
“Although consultations with Qatar, including on following up on the implementation of the other side’s commitments, are continuing as usual, reports by some media about technical talks by the working groups being held in Doha are not confirmed,” said senior Iranian negotiator Kazem Gharibabadi on Monday.
The Trump administration has said that Iran could be given access to the $6 billion in frozen funds held in Qatar, but only to buy “humanitarian and non-sanctioned goods,” including American agricultural products.
U.S. officials also said Iran’s money would be unfrozen in phases based on how well it fulfilled its obligations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran continues to attack ships in the strait and insist it must have total control over the strategic waterway.