Iran demands half of frozen assets upon signing US deal

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, told the semi-official Mehr News Agency that Tehran insists at least 50 percent of its frozen assets be released immediately upon signing any memorandum of understanding with the United States, adding that the remaining funds must be transferred within what he called a reasonable period of one to two months. Gharibabadi said various mechanisms are being reviewed to secure access to the blocked funds.

Qatar's facilitative role

Gharibabadi noted that Qatar could play a role in facilitating access to the frozen assets through alternative mechanisms while Washington takes steps to lift restrictions on the funds. He stressed that any alternative arrangement would not remove the American responsibility to release Iran's blocked assets under the draft understanding.

Conditions for final agreement

The official stated that Tehran would consider a text final only when its interests are fully reflected, including what he described as the immediate and permanent end of the war on all fronts — including Lebanon — and the lifting of the maritime blockade. He added that the removal of all unilateral American sanctions, both primary and secondary, alongside the normalization of Iran's status at the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors, remain among Tehran's key demands.

Draft timeline

According to Gharibabadi, the current draft — which has not yet been finalized — requires Washington to release all frozen financial resources in a process that should not exceed 60 days. Regional tensions have escalated since late February after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, though a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire took effect on April 8 and indirect contacts have continued since.