Tehran confirms partial release of $12bn in blocked assets held in Qatar while the U.S.-Iran ceasefire holds amid recent regional escalations.
Iran has said that $6 billion of its frozen assets held in Qatar will be released and returned, as diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington continue alongside a fragile ceasefire.
According to Iran’s IMNA news agency citing the Presidential Information Office, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced during a visit to Qom that the funds are part of a total $12 billion in Iranian resources held in Qatar.
“According to the plans made, six billion dollars out of a total of twelve billion dollars of Iran’s resources in Qatar will be released and transferred to the country,” Pezeshkian said, according to Iranian news reports.
He also confirmed that efforts will continue to recover the remaining assets.
In April, Reuters reported that Washington had agreed to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets held in Qatar and other banks.
The funds, tied to Iranian oil sales to South Korea, were transferred to Qatari accounts as part of a 2023 prisoner swap agreement but had since remained restricted to use under U.S. oversight, the report had said.
Pezeshkian also reportedly reiterated Tehran’s position that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons, saying its programme remains within declared policy limits and focused on civilian needs.
The announcement comes amid ongoing U.S.-Iran diplomacy over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route.
Axios reported on Sunday that the two sides have agreed to halt attacks and are due to meet in Qatar on Tuesday for further talks aimed at stabilising maritime security, commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and de-escalating regional tensions.
Reports also detailed that talks will center the implementation of a direct military hotline between the Washington and Tehran to coordinate traffic in the key waterway.
The upcoming Doha talks follow escalations across the Gulf, despite the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the U.S. and Iran.
Iran launched new retaliatory attacks on American installations in the Bahrain and Kuwait after Washington targeted 10 Iranian sites, including missile and drone storage facilities, coastal radar positions and military communications infrastructure.
Pakistan and Qatar have played mediating roles in facilitating indirect negotiations, including the Lake Lucerne summit held in Switzerland and follow-up engagements in Doha.
