Iran state TV says draft US deal would release $12 billion in assets

Iranian state media reported on Saturday that a draft memorandum of understanding with the United States would include an agreement to release $12 billion in frozen assets.

The claim was based on an “unofficial” draft of the memorandum. A similar report aired on state TV earlier this week, which the White House called a “fabrication.”

The story follows the day after U.S. President Donald Trump released his own detailed description of a potential agreement aimed at ending the conflict between the two countries. Key elements of Trump’s version were also disputed by Iranian sources.

According to the Saturday state‑TV report, “the United States has pledged to provide Iran with full access to $12 billion of its assets within 60 days, so that these resources can be transferred and spent in banks of Iran’s desired destination without restrictions.”

In his own description of the deal on Friday, Trump insisted that “no money will be exchanged, until further notice,” a statement that Iranian media reports citing informed sources quickly refuted.

Earlier in the week, a source told AFP that Iran’s central bank chief was part of a delegation that visited Qatar “to discuss the issue of frozen funds, which is addressed in the MoU as part of an eventual final deal.”

The Saturday state‑TV report also said that Tehran would continue to manage the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded since the start of the war, thereby unsettling global markets.

On Friday, Trump said that Iran would reopen the strait “for unrestricted shipping traffic,” and the U.S. has repeatedly stated that it would be unacceptable for Iran to retain control over the vital conduit for energy shipments.

The post “Iran state TV says draft deal with US includes releasing $12 bn in assets” first appeared on Vanguard News.