Iran to Use Part of Frozen $6 Billion Funds for Essential Goods

Iran announced on Wednesday that a portion of its initial $6 billion in frozen funds will be used to purchase essential goods following talks in Doha. According to the official IRNA news agency, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs and chief negotiator, stated that discussions with Qatari officials covered issues related to spending part of the funds. “During the meeting with Qatari officials, some issues related to spending a portion of the initial $6 billion were reviewed, and it was decided that, based on our country’s stated needs, the purchase of required goods will be carried out and provided to Iran,” Gharibabadi said. He did not, however, explicitly describe the arrangement regarding the frozen funds as an agreement with Washington. Last week, US President Donald Trump said Iran was facing food shortages and that Washington would use “some of Iran’s money” to buy American wheat, soybeans, and corn for the country, describing the move as opening a “new market” for American farmers. Gharibabadi’s remarks followed talks in Doha, where an Iranian delegation met with Qatari and Pakistani mediators to follow up on the implementation of Islamabad’s memorandum of understanding with the US. The Iranian official said the three parties decided to establish an “urgent communication channel” to formally document and review the implementation of the memorandum. Gharibabadi also reiterated that no direct meeting took place between the Iranian and US delegations in Doha. He said the Iranian delegation raised the issue of US “violations” of commitments under the first clause of the memorandum, particularly those related to ending the war in Lebanon.