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Masoud Pezeshkian said USD 6 billion of frozen Iranian assets in Qatar would be released as US-Iran talks came under strain. The claim ties the interim deal to escalating Gulf attacks and uncertainty over whether negotiations will hold.
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Dubai,UPDATED: Jun 29, 2026 16:28 IST
Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that USD 6 billion in frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar would be released, as negotiations with the United States faced strain after attacks across the Persian Gulf over the weekend.
His remarks appeared aimed at building support at home for the interim deal, even as tensions at sea raised fresh concerns over the talks. Pakistan, which is acting as a key mediator, has said discussions between the US and Iran will resume on Tuesday, while the Trump administration has said technical talks remain on track in the coming days.
Pezeshkian made the comments in remarks published by the state-run IRNA news agency, describing the interim deal as "a great victory for the Iranian people".
"Based on the plans made, USD 6 billion out of the total USD 12 billion of Iranian resources in Qatar will be released and returned to the country, and necessary follow-ups are being carried out," he said. He did not give further details.
Pezeshkian, a reformist within Iran's theocratic system, is the highest-ranking Iranian official so far to refer to the release of the funds held in Qatar, which, along with Pakistan, is mediating in the negotiations.
His statement came as Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz was being challenged by efforts to open Oman's territorial waters to both inbound and outbound traffic from the Persian Gulf. Iran's attacks and threats had halted the movement of cargo ships and tankers through the strait, through which about a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed in peacetime, triggering a global energy crisis.
The Strait of Hormuz has long been treated as an international waterway despite lying within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. In recent days, Iran twice attacked vessels using a route near the Omani side, prompting retaliatory American airstrikes and raising fears that efforts to reach a formal end to the war could be disrupted.
Iran also launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday. The Trump administration said on Sunday that nothing had been cancelled and that technical talks were proceeding as planned, though Iran has not yet said whether it will take part.
So far, US officials have said no frozen Iranian assets have been released. Qatar has also not acknowledged any such transfer, and Iran attacked a tanker carrying Qatari crude oil during the crossfire in the Persian Gulf over the weekend. The latest developments have linked the proposed release of funds, the wider negotiations and the escalating tensions in the Gulf.
With PTI Inputs
- Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Jun 29, 2026 16:28 IST
