TEHRAN -- Iran’s foreign minister has said that U.S. officials tried to discuss restarting nuclear talks last month, but he insisted Washington must first release $10 billion of Tehran’s frozen funds as a sign of good will.
The United States used intermediaries at the United Nations last month to attempt to make contact, Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian told national television Saturday night.
Iran has been unable to obtain tens of billions of dollars of its assets in foreign banks, mainly from exports of oil and gas, due to U.S. sanctions on its banking and energy sectors.
“The Americans tried to contact us through different channels (at the UN General Assembly) in New York, and I told the mediators if America’s intentions are serious then a serious indication was needed ... by releasing at least $10 billion of blocked money,” the minister said.
If the Americans have “true intentions, let them release some of our assets “, he said. “But the Americans are not prepared to unlock them so that we can say that the Americans once in the past several decades considered the interests of the Iranian nation,” he added.
Amir-Abdollahian also warned that Tehran would sue South Korea if it continued to refuse to honor a debt of almost $8 billion for purchases of Iranian oil.
Iran’s funds are frozen in South Korean banks.
“U.S. pressure (on Seoul) is a fact but we cannot continue... to turn a blind eye to this question,” he said, adding the government would allow the central bank to take legal action against two South Korean banks holding the funds.
Amir-Abdollahian said he had addressed the issue on Thursday during a telephone conversation

with his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong and asked him to allow Iran access to its assets “as soon as possible”.
Chairman of the Iran’s parliament’s Industry and Mining Committee Ezzatollah Akbari-Talarposhti on Sunday slammed South Korea’s refusal to release Iranian assets, saying Iran’s home appliances market should not be accessible to a country that gives in to U.S. sanctions.
“Seoul’s justification for confiscating Iranian assets under the pretext of U.S. sanctions is not acceptable since the U.S. is not allowed to impose its own domestic laws on international trade. This is a blatant violation of free trade,” Akbari-Talarposhti told IRNA.
“The Iranian home appliances market should not be accessible to a country that cedes to U.S. sanctions on the Islamic Republic. The administration should take necessary measures to prevent the import of Korean goods into the country.”
A senior South Korean diplomat praised Iranian home appliance producers for their progress following the departure of two South Korean companies – LG and Samsung – from Iran’s market.
“I am aware of the progress made by Iran’s home appliance industry in the wake of South Korea’s departure. Koreans want to share their experience with Iranian producers,” Deputy South Korean Ambassador to Tehran Park Duck-soo said.
Last month, President Ebrahim Raisi ordered ministries of trade and finance to introduce an outright ban on home appliances imports after Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei warned that such shipments could paralyze local manufacturers.