Iran raised the ceiling of its demands and waved the frozen money card again. The advisor to the Iranian leader, Mohsen Rezaei, conditional on reaching an agreement between Washington and Tehran on the approval of the administration of US President Donald Trump to release $24 billion in Iranian assets.
CNN quoted Rezaei as saying, today (Friday), that any understanding between the two sides depends on the release of these withheld funds, in reference to Iranian assets frozen abroad as a result of American and international sanctions.
These statements come at a time when indirect contacts continue between the United States and Iran regarding a number of outstanding issues, amid growing talk about the two sides approaching new understandings after months of political and military tensions in the region.
It is noteworthy that the file of frozen Iranian funds is one of the most prominent controversial issues between the two parties, as Tehran has been demanding for years the release of billions of dollars in oil revenues and financial assets detained in various countries, while Washington links any easing of sanctions or release of funds to Iranian obligations in several files.
The introduction of this condition comes at a time when the United States continues its policy of economic pressure on Iran, as the US Treasury Department announced, today (Friday), the imposition of sanctions on a network that includes individuals, entities and tankers, which it said was working to smuggle Iranian liquefied petroleum gas to South and East Asia.
The ministry stated in a statement that the new sanctions target 12 entities, including 5 based in the Marshall Islands, 4 in the Emirates, and one entity in China, in addition to 6 liquefied petroleum gas tankers, 4 of which fly the Panama flag.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent stressed that the department will continue to cut off the Iranian shadow fleet and hidden banking networks, and prevent Iran’s access to global trade markets.
Iran has raised the stakes in its demands and has once again hinted at the issue of frozen funds. The advisor to the Iranian Supreme Leader, Mohsen Rezai, conditioned to reach an agreement between Washington and Tehran on the approval of US President Donald Trump’s administration to release $24 billion of Iranian assets.
CNN reported Rezai saying today (Friday) that any understanding between the two sides is contingent upon the release of these funds held, referring to the Iranian assets frozen abroad due to US and international sanctions.
These statements come at a time when indirect communications between the United States and Iran continue regarding several outstanding issues, amid increasing talk of both sides nearing new understandings after months of political and military tensions in the region.
It is worth noting that the issue of frozen Iranian funds is one of the most prominent contentious points between the two parties, as Tehran has been demanding for years the release of billions of dollars from oil revenues and financial assets held in various countries, while Washington links any easing of sanctions or release of funds to Iranian commitments on several issues.
This condition is being raised at a time when the United States continues its economic pressure policy on Iran, as the US Treasury Department announced today (Friday) the imposition of sanctions on a network that includes individuals, entities, and vessels, which it said are involved in smuggling Iranian liquefied petroleum gas to South and East Asia.
The department stated in a statement that the new sanctions target 12 entities, including 5 based in the Marshall Islands, 4 in the UAE, and one entity in China, along with 6 liquefied petroleum gas vessels, 4 of which fly the Panamanian flag.
US Treasury Secretary Scott P. Bisson emphasized that the department will continue to cut off the operational avenues of the Iranian shadow fleet, the hidden banking networks, and prevent Iran from accessing global trade markets.
