Iran Announces Release of $6 Billion in Assets Held in Qatar

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has confirmed that $6 billion of Iran’s frozen assets currently held in Qatar will be released and returned to Tehran, as diplomatic efforts with Washington continue alongside a fragile ceasefire.

Speaking during a visit to Qom, Pezeshkian said the funds are part of a total $12 billion in Iranian resources held in Qatar. “According to the plans made, six billion dollars out of a total of twelve billion dollars of Iran’s resources in Qatar will be released and transferred to the country,” he stated, according to Iranian media. He added that efforts remain underway to recover the remaining assets.

The announcement follows earlier reports that Washington had agreed to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets tied to oil sales to South Korea. Those funds were transferred to Qatari accounts in 2023 under a prisoner swap deal but remained restricted under U.S. oversight.

Pezeshkian also reiterated Tehran’s stance that Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons, stressing that its nuclear program remains within declared civilian limits.

The development comes as U.S. and Iranian officials prepare to meet in Doha on Tuesday for talks focused on stabilizing maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route. Axios reported that both sides have agreed to halt attacks and are working on implementing a direct military hotline to coordinate traffic in the waterway.

Despite the memorandum of understanding signed earlier, tensions have escalated. Iran recently launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. installations in Bahrain and Kuwait after Washington targeted ten Iranian sites, including missile storage facilities and coastal radar positions.

Diplomatic mediation has involved Qatar and Pakistan, with earlier engagements at the Lake Lucerne summit in Switzerland and follow‑up sessions in Doha. The upcoming talks are seen as critical to preventing further confrontation, restoring confidence in shipping lanes, and advancing negotiations over frozen assets.

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