Tehran is putting pressure on Washington. Strangled by economic sanctions, Iran is demanding ten billion dollars in frozen assets from the United States to measure America’s “real intentions” in the negotiations on Iranian nuclear power, which has stalled since June.
If the Americans “have real intentions (to save the deal), let them free up some of our assets, say ten billion dollars frozen in foreign banks, and return them to Iran,” he said. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday night in an interview on state television.
Unilateral withdrawal in 2018
The United States reinstated economic sanctions against Iran after unilaterally withdrawing from the international Iran nuclear deal in 2018. This pact concluded in Vienna in 2015 offered Tehran an easing of Western and UN sanctions in exchange for its commitment never to acquire atomic weapons and a drastic reduction of its nuclear program, placed under strict control of the United Nations. UN.
Iran, which gradually abandoned its commitments after the US withdrawal, also intends to sue South Korea, exasperated by Seoul’s refusal to honor a debt of nearly eight billion dollars for the purchase of oil. “American pressure (on South Korea) is a fact, but we cannot continue to look good and turn a blind eye to this issue,” Mr. Amir-Abdollahian insisted.
Iranian funds deposited in two Korean banks are blocked despite repeated requests from Tehran to release them. These funds frozen for three years amount to 7.8 billion dollars and come from Iranian oil exports, Iranian deputy Aliréza Salimi told AFP on Sunday.
Talks between Tehran and the great powers at a standstill
If Seoul does not take swift action, Tehran will not prevent the Iranian Central Bank from suing South Korea over the dispute, the foreign minister said, adding that he raised the subject Thursday with his Korean counterpart. “The Korean side is worried about our intention to file a complaint. I told him that it was unacceptable for our people to wait three years, and empty words will not solve the problem. Iran must have rapid access to its funds, ”the Iranian minister said.
Talks between Tehran and the major powers still party to the agreement have stalled since June. On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said his country had been “in very good faith for many months” in the talks, in which the United States is indirectly participating, placing the responsibility for action on the Iranians.
“But, the Americans are not willing to unlock (the frozen assets) so that we can make sure that they have taken into account the interests of the Iranian people,” retorted the Iranian foreign minister.