Iran presses U.S. to release $24bn in frozen assets as talks stall

Iran has asked the United States to release $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets as part of efforts to break a deadlock in negotiations, according to comments attributed to a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader. Mohsen Rezaei said the end of the conflict depends on approval from the government of Donald Trump, describing the move as a test of confidence in the talks. The request comes as the two sides remain in a fragile ceasefire and continue to trade accusations over the terms of any wider agreement.

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Rezaei said Iran wants $12 billion released as soon as a provisional deal is signed, with a further $12 billion to follow later. He made the remarks in an interview on Friday, according to the report, and said the negotiations were at an impasse. The adviser is described as a military adviser to the supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and said Trump needed to break the deadlock.

The report also said officials in the Trump administration fear that any early release of funds would remove an important source of leverage. The issue is significant because the frozen assets have become part of the bargaining over any settlement between Tehran and Washington. The report says Trump wants any agreement to be much stronger than the 2015 nuclear deal and does not want anything that could be seen as handing over large sums of money.

That position reflects a broader concern in Washington that sanctions relief or asset releases could weaken pressure on Iran before a durable deal is reached. For Iran, the funds are being presented as a confidence-building measure and a practical test of whether the U.S. is willing to move. The dispute also sits against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire and renewed exchanges between Iran and the United States.

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The report says the war in Iran would have an impact on the global economy, underlining why the negotiations are being watched beyond the two capitals. Any agreement on frozen assets would therefore have implications not only for diplomacy but also for sanctions policy and the wider regional balance. The fact that the money is being discussed in stages suggests both sides are still trying to manage risk while keeping talks alive.

The row echoes earlier disputes over how much economic relief Iran should receive in return for concessions. The report specifically contrasts the current talks with the 2015 nuclear agreement and with Barack Obama's decision to provide financial compensation, which Trump has criticised in the past. That comparison shows how the politics of sanctions relief remain central to any U.S.-Iran deal.

It also suggests that the question of money, not only nuclear or security terms, is now a key test of whether the negotiations can move forward. What remains unclear is whether Washington is willing to accept any staged release of funds, and whether Tehran's demand is a negotiating position or a minimum condition for progress. It is also not clear how much of the $24 billion is actually accessible, or what form any release would take.

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