Iranian source says U.S. agreed to release frozen assets ahead of talks

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner walk with Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for peace talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, April 11, 2026. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via REUTERS

ISLAMABAD, April 11 (Reuters) - The United States has agreed to release Iranian frozen assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks, a senior Iranian source told Reuters on Saturday, calling the move a sign of Washington’s seriousness ahead of talks in Islamabad.

The source, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the unfreezing of the assets was directly linked to ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, an issue expected to feature prominently in the talks.

The source did not give a value for the assets. A second Iranian source said Washington had agreed to release $6 billion in Iranian funds held in Qatar.

There was no immediate statement from the United States. Qatar’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The $6 billion, originally frozen in 2018, had been due for release in 2023 as part of a U.S.-Iran prisoner swap, but the funds were frozen again by the administration of President Joe Biden after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas, an Iranian ally.

The funds stem from Iranian oil sales to South Korea and were initially blocked after Washington reimposed sanctions on Tehran in 2018 and withdrew from the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

Under the September 2023 prisoner swap mediated by Doha, the money was transferred to Qatari bank accounts. U.S. officials said at the time the funds were restricted to humanitarian use only.