Vice President JD Vance said Monday that frozen Iranian funds would not be released unless the United States continues to see progress, while describing a Qatar-assisted oversight mechanism for funds that could be used to buy American soybeans.
Vance’s remarks came after a reporter asked whether Iran had already agreed that frozen funds could be used to buy American soybeans.
Vance replied, “Yeah, that was something that came up yesterday. We actually asked the Qataris to help us set up the mechanism so that we could ensure that the money goes where we want it to go. And they agreed to do that. We have a good relationship, obviously, with them and a good operational oversight mechanism in place. But even with that said, even with the caveat that it’s going to benefit American farmers and obviously benefit the people of Iran, we want both. But fundamentally, that money is not going to be unfrozen unless we continue to see progress. And that will obviously be a big part of the negotiation in the days to come.”
The comments follow the release of a Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, which the White House confirmed to Breitbart News after the full text was shared with reporters. The memorandum said the United States and Iran had “jointly agreed, in good faith” to terms involving the current conflict, sanctions, Iran’s nuclear program, and negotiations toward a final deal.
The memorandum also stated the United States would make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of Iran upon implementation of the MoU. The two countries would mutually agree on procedures for releasing those funds during negotiations, and the text said such funds, whether kept in the original account or transferred, would be fully usable for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of Iran.
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