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Pezeshkian says $6b of frozen assets in Qatar set to be unblocked
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that $6 billion of the country's frozen assets held in Qatar will be released and returned to Iran under the recently-signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States.
“Based on the plans made, $6 billion out of a total of $12 billion of Iran’s funds in Qatar will be released and returned to the country,” Pezeshkian said during a meeting with Grand Ayatollah Shobeiri Zanjani.
He added that “necessary follow-ups are being carried out” for the return of the remaining funds.
Pezeshkian described the Iran-US MoU as "a great victory for the Iranian people," adding that oil and petrochemical sanctions have been lifted as per the understanding.
"The US has ultimately forced the Zionist regime (Israel) to accept the understanding, although the Zionist regime and some monarchist currents remain opposed to its implementation," the Iranian president noted.
On June 18, Iran and the US signed the 14-point Pakistan-brokered MoU, which calls for a permanent end to hostilities across all fronts, including Lebanon, as well as the removal of the naval blockade on Iran within 30 days, and the restoration of commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Under the MoU, the two sides have entered a 60-day negotiation period, with the goal of reaching a comprehensive final agreement.
US President Donald Trump and American officials have claimed that the initial financial relief under the Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding would be used to purchase corn, wheat and soybeans from American farmers.
Trump insisted that no cash would reach Tehran directly, promising the funds would instead go to US growers to alleviate what he claimed as Iran's "hunger problem."
However, Iran's lead negotiator on Thursday dismissed US claims. "America falsely claims our unfrozen assets will buy their agriculture," Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf wrote on social media platform X.
Mohammad Jafar Qaempanah, an Iranian vice president, recently said that an estimated $25 billion of the country’s frozen assets would gradually be released.
He noted that the financial resources will be directed toward expanding critical infrastructure — such as transport, highways, and airports — to improve public welfare.