The release of frozen Iranian funds has become a central obstacle in negotiations between Tehran and Washington aimed at ending their war, a senior Iranian official said, warning talks are faltering over access to the assets. Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, made the remarks in an interview broadcast on June 5, 2026.
“If he (Trump) wants to reach an agreement with Iran, this $24 billion is a test of trust that Iran wants to have with Trump,” Rezaei told CNN, according to an English translation provided by the channel. “This is a test that America must pass and the path will be opened,” he added, stressing, “this is our own money, not America’s money.”
Iran has been subject to asset freezes and sweeping sanctions by the United States and other Western countries since the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the US-backed Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. While there is no official figure for the total amount of frozen Iranian assets, media reports have put the sum between $100 billion and $123 billion.
Tehran has made the release of these funds one of several conditions for any agreement to end the conflict, making the financial dispute a pivotal trust issue between the two sides and a potential dealbreaker in ongoing talks. — AFP
Original Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/west-asia-conflict-iran-us-israel-war-strait-of-hormuz-live-updates-june-6-2026/article71068325.ece
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Publish Date: 2026-06-07 01:29:00
