US denies Iranian claim of agreeing to unfreeze assets amid talks

The White House has dismissed a report that the United States had agreed to release Iran's frozen assets held in foreign banks. The funds, initially frozen in 2018, were moved to bank accounts in Qatar in 2023 as part of a prisoner swap deal. The money, valued at $6 billion, can only be used for humanitarian purposes under US treasury oversight. The funds were frozen again following the October 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas.