US weighs seizing Iranian assets to rebuild Gulf states hit by Tehran’s attacks
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also directed a team to assess the cost of damage inflicted by Iran on Gulf allies, the source added, adding that the US would consider using Iranian assets for those repairs.
Also read: Obama’s shadow falls as a hefty Iran bill lands on Trump’s desk
The statement came a day after Mohsen Rezai, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, told CNN that the peace deal was contingent on the release of $24 billion in Iranian assets frozen by the United States.
The source did not specify Saturday what types of assets the Treasury was reviewing. The language used to explain the new measures did not appear to be limited to frozen assets.
Peace talks appear to have stalled, although a mediator from Pakistan arrived in Tehran on Saturday with a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency reported.
The threat of redirecting Iranian assets could create a new upset for the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which was tested again this weekend with U.S. and Iranian attacks.
U.S. forces struck Iranian coastal radar sites at Goruk and Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz early Saturday after shooting down drones launched by Iran that U.S. Central Command said posed a threat to maritime traffic.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced that it retaliated against US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, and the Kuwaiti army said it fired seven ballistic missiles that passed over residential areas on Saturday, causing material damage but no casualties.
In Bahrain, sirens were sounded and residents were called for shelter. Kuwait and Bahrain condemned the attacks.
PAKISTAN MINISTER LANDED IN TEHRAN
Iran later said it hit US bases in both countries with ballistic missiles, but the US military said six missiles were intercepted and the seventh did not hit its target.
The United States and Iran have engaged in largely indirect negotiations for an interim deal to halt the three-month war, leaving issues including Iran’s nuclear program for further negotiations.
However, it was not possible to reach an agreement as the two sides periodically clashed.
Tehran wants access to billions of dollars in oil revenue, the lifting of sanctions on crude oil exports, the lifting of the US blockade of its ports and influence over the Strait of Hormuz. Before the war, Iran effectively blocked the waterway through which about one-fifth of global oil traffic passed.
Iranian state media reported that Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsen Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday to meet Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. According to ISNA, Naqvi said he was carrying a “special letter” from his country’s chief of staff and prime minister to Iran’s Khamenei.
Also read: Iran says frozen funds key to progress in US talks
Trump faces increasing domestic political pressure due to rising gas prices to end the unpopular war. He told NBC that although most of Iran’s drone and missile production facilities have been destroyed, the Iranians still have access to about a fifth of their missiles.
“They’ve got a few missiles, some drones. I would say in percentage terms, maybe 21% to 22% of their missiles. They’ve got a lot of missiles, but not like when we first attacked,” Trump told NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” according to excerpts released Friday.
After the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, Tehran attacked Gulf countries hosting US bases and largely stopped the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The conflict has caused oil prices to rise and disrupted supply chains of other goods, including humanitarian aid.
Despite the Ceasefires, Flames Are Struggled in the Region
In a parallel conflict in Lebanon, two Lebanese officers and a soldier were killed in an Israeli attack on a military vehicle in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army said. The Israeli army announced that it was investigating the incident.
Iran has made a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-affiliated Hezbollah in Lebanon a condition of any peace deal with Washington.
The Lebanese army said on Saturday that its commander, General Rudolf Haykal, had traveled to Pakistan at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart, without providing further details.
The surprise visit was notable given Washington’s insistence and that of Lebanese leaders, including the president, that ceasefire talks for Lebanon remain separate from US-Iran talks brokered by Pakistan.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qasim this week rejected a US-brokered deal between Israel and the Lebanese government to halt the conflict in Lebanon. The agreement did not envisage Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah was not a party to the negotiations.
Israel says its forces will not withdraw or halt operations in the country amid growing friction with the US
