Iran FM: US Needs to Unfreeze $10 Billion for Negotiations

 

Sees asset move as test of US sincerity

by Jason Ditz 

Posted onOctober 3, 2021CategoriesNewsTagsIran, State Dept

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian is calling on the US to unfreeze some $10 billion in Iranian assets as a sign of good faith, conditioning this on Iran’s return to nuclear negotiations.

Amirabdollahian said this was an opportunity to say just once that the US “considered the interests of the Iranian nation.” There has been no response from the State Department.

The odds don’t look great, however. The Biden Administration has been criticizing Iran’s new government since the election, and given the appearance of being tepid on renewing the talks in the first place.

That, and the long-standing US desire to brag about just how many Iranian assets they’ve frozen, makes a good will gesture extremely unlikely. If anything, it will be one more thing for the US to condemn them over, and another excuse when the talks don’t materialize.

https://news.antiwar.com/2021/10/03/iran-fm-us-needs-to-unfreeze-10-billion-for-negotiations/