Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister: Any Agreement with the US Must Include Terms for Releasing Half of Iran’s Frozen Assets

Odaily Planet Daily News According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, Kazem Gharibabadi, the Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs of Iran, stated that if any memorandum of understanding is signed with the United States, at least 50% of Iran’s frozen financial assets must be immediately unfrozen. Gharibabadi said that Tehran will only consider any draft agreement as final if “its interests and concerns are fully taken into account.” Gharibabadi stated: “Iran insists that, at the very least, 50% of these funds must be made available to Iran immediately after the memorandum of understanding is signed.” He added that the remaining funds should be “unfrozen within a limited period of one to two months following the signing of the agreement.” Gharibabadi noted that these assets belong to Iran and were “illegally frozen” by the US, and that unfreezing them is a core prerequisite for any potential agreement. He said that other details of the mechanism for accessing the funds, including technical and financial arrangements, would be further negotiated within a 60-day implementation period after the memorandum is signed. (Jin Shi)