Can the U.S. Just Take Iran’s $24 Billion Frozen Assets?
Is Trump Even Wanting Iran’s Frozen Assets?
On the 6th, Reuters reported that U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent has instructed a team to assess the damages caused by Iran’s attacks on Gulf states and to review Iran’s frozen assets in the Gulf region, citing that the Trump administration is considering whether to use these Iranian assets to support post-war reconstruction efforts in Gulf countries.
Just one day earlier, Mohsen Rezaei, adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, told American media that whether Iran and the U.S. can reach a peace agreement hinges on whether the U.S. unfreezes Iran’s approximately $24 billion in assets: “This money isn’t much for the U.S., but it belongs to Iran, not the U.S.”
Evidently, Tehran views the unfreezing of these assets not only as the minimum threshold for building mutual trust between the two sides, but also as an urgent necessity to alleviate the near-collapsed post-sanctions economy. Therefore, if Trump truly intends to “donate” these funds to Gulf countries, it would severely disrupt the already fragile U.S.-Iran negotiation process and could even lead to another collapse of talks.
Additionally, although according to Reuters, the U.S. justification for diverting Iran’s assets is “compensation for losses suffered by Gulf allies,” given Trump’s track record—such as seizing a portion of Venezuela’s oil revenues—it’s likely that Gulf nations would end up receiving only a fraction of this $24 billion if it ever falls into his hands. The remainder would most probably be pocketed by Trump himself.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1867321719552139/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of its author.