Iran demands release of $12 billion frozen in Qatar before advancing US talks

Iran is demanding the immediate release of $12 billion in frozen assets held in Qatar as a precondition for moving forward with negotiations with the US, reported Iran International, citing sources.The source added that the $12 billion is only the immediate tranche required to begin the diplomatic roadmap and does not represent the full amount Iran is seeking. Tehran’s broader negotiating position is that all of its frozen assets worldwide must eventually be unfrozen and fully released as part of any comprehensive agreement, the source said.Earlier on Sunday, IRGC-linked Tasnim News reported that differences between Iran and the US over one or two clauses of a possible memorandum of understanding remained unresolved.Tasnim said Iran has insisted that any initial memorandum of understanding with the US should include the release of at least part of its frozen assets in the first step, adding that the released funds must be accessible to Iran.According to Tasnim, Washington has sought in recent weeks to link the release of the assets to a possible final nuclear agreement. Iran, however, wants part of the funds released at the start of any MoU and a mechanism established for releasing the remaining assets during negotiations.Later in the day, Tasnim reported that US obstruction of some clauses in a potential agreement with Iran, including the release of Tehran’s blocked assets, was still continuing. The report added that there remains a possibility the agreement could be canceled.In April, Reuters reported that Washington had agreed to release $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar and other banks. The funds, linked to Iranian oil sales to South Korea, were transferred to Qatari accounts under a 2023 prisoner swap but remained restricted to humanitarian use under US oversight, according to the report.