Iran just got $12 billion back. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf announced on June 23 that an agreement with the United States has been finalized to release $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets, with the funds heading straight to the Central Bank of Iran for unrestricted use.
The release comes in two separate $6 billion tranches, drawn primarily from holdings in Qatar and other foreign banks.
The details and the disagreement
Central Bank of Iran Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati confirmed that the released assets will not carry restrictions on their use. That’s a notable claim, because the US has previously insisted that similar asset releases be earmarked for humanitarian goods like food and medicine.
Hemmati specifically stated that Iran is not obligated to spend the money on American goods, directly contradicting US claims suggesting otherwise. The negotiations to unlock these funds reportedly began in Qatar before being concluded in Switzerland.
