Overview
- Iran has told negotiators it wants access to at least $6 billion as a confidence step after talks in Islamabad, and the U.S. later said no easing decision has been made and the funds remain blocked.
- Estimates place Iran’s overseas assets above $100 billion, and experts say any access would likely come with strict limits on how the money can be used.
- Identified pools include about $6 billion parked in Qatar under a monitored channel, roughly $20 billion in China, about $7 billion in India, around $6 billion in Iraq, and smaller sums in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States.
- The funds matter because Iran’s economy is strained by high prices and a weak currency, and new cash could help keep oil output, power grids, and water systems running and could steady the rial.
- The freezes trace back to post-1979 sanctions, with brief relief under the 2015 nuclear deal before renewed U.S. sanctions in 2018, and any release now would require legal work across several countries and could be tied to nuclear and security steps.