Written by Layla Hassan, Middle East & North Africa Correspondent
TEHRAN/VIENNA — Iran said Saturday that any US-Iran peace deal must include the release of approximately $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets held in South Korean banks, and warned that continued economic pressure would make a negotiated solution impossible, according to a statement from Iran’s Foreign Ministry read on state television.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was “prepared to negotiate seriously” but that “words without action on frozen assets are worthless.” The funds have been frozen since 2018, when the Trump administration withdrew from the JCPOA nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions.
A senior US State Department official said the asset release was “a consideration” but not a precondition for talks. “We have made clear that any deal must address the nuclear program and Iran’s support for militant proxies,” the official said.
The EU’s foreign policy chief called for an emergency diplomatic session in Brussels on Sunday. A joint statement from France, Germany, and the UK called on both sides to “return to the negotiating table before the situation escalates beyond control.”