Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets in Qatar would be released. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
Pezeshkian's mention of the funds appeared aimed at selling the interim deal to the Iranian public, particularly as its grip on the Strait of Hormuz has been tested. US President Donald Trump said on social media that Iran had requested a meeting with US counterparts, but Iran's senior negotiator Kazem Gharibabadi denied any talks had been scheduled.
Trump said the meeting would happen Tuesday in Doha, Qatar. The interim deal between the US and Iran calls for Tehran to dilute its enriched uranium stockpile, waive US sanctions, and open the Strait of Hormuz, giving each side 60 days to hammer out broader agreements.
Meanwhile, Iran launched drone and missile attacks Sunday targeting Bahrain and Kuwait in response to new US airstrikes, threatening a "complete halt" in negotiations if Washington continues its attacks.
President Trump has tried to preserve the increasingly fragile interim deal as hostilities have mounted in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil had been shipped before the war.
Oil prices fell sharply after the signing of the interim deal, but if they reverse course, it could undermine Trump's claims to voters that inflation was easing.
Pezeshkian praised the interim deal as "a great victory for the Iranian people" in comments published by state-run IRNA. He added, "Based on the plans made, $6 billion out of the total $12 billion will be released."
Since the war began Feb. 28, Iran's attacks and threats stopped cargo ships and tankers from moving through the Strait of Hormuz, creating a global energy crisis. In recent days, Iran has twice attacked vessels in the strait, drawing retaliatory US airstrikes.