Copy in clipboard...
Iran calls idea of using its assets to pay damages to US allies ‘ridiculous’
Iran on Monday described as “ridiculous” reports that the US could use Iran’s frozen assets to compensate regional allies for war-related damages, saying that such claims are part of “media war” to pressure Iran.
Reuters reported on Saturday, citing a source familiar with the matter, that the United States would make Iranian assets available to Persian Gulf Arab allies to support rebuilding and repairs for future damage caused by Iran.
The US would also consider using those assets to support repairs for past damages, the source said, adding that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had directed a team to assess the cost of damage already inflicted on the Persian Gulf allies by Iran.
“This claim is ridiculous; because we strongly hold claims against all regional countries that have in any way played a role in the aggression and crimes of the Zionist regime and the United States against Iran, and we will certainly pursue these claims by any means”, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in his weekly press conference.
Such reports are part of a media war and pressure campaign being pursued by Iran’s enemies, part of which originates from Israel, Baqaei said.
The Iranian official said that the release of Iran's frozen assets in other countries is one of the main issues of any possible agreement between Iran and the US, stressing that Tehran will never show any leniency in this regard.
Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi also reacted to the report, saying that the governments that placed their territory and facilities at the service of aggression against Iran are not in a position to demand reparations.
“Iran’s assets are neither war spoils for Washington nor a payment fund for its allies,” he said, warning, “Any seizure, transfer, or allocation of Iran’s property without the consent of the Iranian government is itself a new internationally wrongful act,” Gharibabadi pointed out.
He described the decision as a new brazen act on the part of the US.
“If Washington, as the primary aggressor in the military aggression against Iran, is truly seeking to compensate for damages, it should not get the address wrong: it should start with America itself and with the regime that is the main source of arson, aggression, and instability in the region,” he said.
Gharibabadi added that Iran will not stop to demand accountability from aggressors and will seek and receive damages caused by 40 days of the US-Israeli war, adding, “Iran will seriously pursue this."
For decades, the United States has held billions of dollars of legitimate Iranian wealth: oil revenues, central bank reserves, and commercial assets, seized through illegitimate executive orders and maintained through political pressure.
Iran has been asking for its seized funds to be released by the US under a framework that the two countries are negotiating to end the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, which began in February.