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Wednesday, April 24, 2024 22:6 GMT
The US State Department shot down "inaccurate" reports claiming the Trump administration would soon be granting special sanctions exceptions to give Iran access to cash assets as it struggles to fight the coronavirus, according to information exclusively provided to the Washington Free Beacon. The United States had "agreed to grant sanctions waivers to some countries allowing them to release frozen Iranian assets in order to help Tehran buy medicine and equipment to fight the coronavirus," according to a report late Friday in Middle Eastern Eye that cited "sources." Scores of Iranian assets are currently frozen in many European bank accounts due to the Trump administration's tough sanctions regime on Iran.The State Department slapped down these reports as false when asked by the Free Beacon to address the matter."These reports are inaccurate," a State Department official told the Free Beacon. "Despite the regime’s disinformation, the truth is that it already has funds available to it to spend on humanitarian trade that would benefit the Iranian people. Instead, it chooses to spend this money on terrorism and proxy groups. The Iranian people deserve better."Those arguing for sanctions relief, including some European allies, want to see Iran granted access to these funds. Trump administration officials maintain that Iran would use this money to bolster its ballistic missile program and fund regional terror groups' operations across the region, including in Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon.China, Russia and the United Nations have urged the US to lift its sanctions on Iran so that equipment and supplies can be imported into the Islamic Republic without the restrictions and legal delays imposed by the Treasury.The US has so far refused to heed those calls, but Rohani said on Wednesday that a new resolution was being discussed by members of the UN Security Council that could soon unlock some Iranian funds frozen overseas. The president said he’d been told by a non-permanent member of the council that the resolution was ready.This is while, Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdolnaser Hemmati said that part of Iran’s frozen assets will be likely released soon in cooperation with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs which enables the country to contain spread of coronavirus pandemic. Part of Iran's assets which had been frozen in some countries due to the US pressure will be possibly released thanks to the efforts made by the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the CBI, Hemmati stated on the sidelines of the cabinet session.The governor hoped that the released assets would be used for providing basic goods, medicine, medical equipment, and fundamental needs [as the country is fighting the coronavirus pandemic.CBI is seriously following up procurement of the basic goods and emergency supplies, Hemmati stressed. He hoped that the country would witness an improved economy after defeating coronavirus. - Washington Free Beacon, Reuters, Bloomberg