‘U.S. Clears Way for Release of $6bn in Frozen Iran Funds’

Date: 12 September 2023 - 22:30

News ID: ۱۱۹۳۳۵

WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – A U.S. report says President Joe Biden’s administration has issued a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer six billion dollars in frozen Iranian assets from South Korea to Qatar with no concern about Washington’s sanctions. The report released early Tuesday said the Biden administration has also agreed to release five Iranian citizens held in the United States. It added that Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed off on the sanctions waivers late last week, a month after US and Iranian officials said an agreement in principle was in place on the issue. The waiver means that European, Middle Eastern and Asian banks will not be in violation of U.S. sanctions in converting Iran’s money, which was frozen in South Korea, and transferring it to Qatar’s central bank, where it will be held for Tehran to be used for the purchase of non-sanctioned goods.