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EXCERPT:
Members of the Iranian security forces stand guard under a large portrait of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, during a memorial to mark the 40th day since his father, Ali Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in US-Israeli joint strikes.
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- Iranian negotiators are reportedly seeking the release of about $24 billion in frozen assets as part of talks aimed at ending the war with the United States.
- Tehran is finalising a 14-point framework for a possible agreement following months of conflict sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
- Senior Iranian officials, including Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Abbas Araghchi, are in Qatar for negotiations focused on accessing an initial $12 billion tranche of funds.
Iranian media said on Tuesday that Tehran’s negotiators were seeking the release of around $24 billion in frozen assets abroad as part of a process aimed at ending the war with the United States.
The report by Tasnim news agency came as a top Iranian delegation was in Qatar, and after Tehran said it was finalising a 14-point framework for a deal on ending the war, which began with US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran on 28 February.
“Iran’s frozen assets are to be released during the course of the negotiations, and this amount is estimated at $24 billion in accordance with the 14-point memorandum of understanding,” Tasnim quoted an unnamed source close to the negotiating team as saying.
Around half of that sum “should be made available at the start of the announcement of the memorandum,” it added.
