Qatar Dismisses Reports Linking $12 Billion to Iran-US Talks
Reports claimed "deal" was precondition for advancing negotiations with the United States
By Habib Toumi
DOHA: Qatar has firmly denied reports claiming it offered Iran $12 billion in exchange for securing an agreement to end the ongoing conflict.
In a statement posted on X, Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari, Advisor to the Prime Minister and Spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dismissed the allegations as “simply not true.”
“The reports suggesting Qatar “offered” $12 billion to Iran to secure a deal are simply not true & are being circulated by parties attempting to sabotage the deal & undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts toward regional de-escalation & stability,” he posted.
“Qatar’s diplomatic role, in coordination with regional partners, is well established & publicly documented, & such narratives are nothing more than desperate attempts to tarnish Qatar’s reputation as a trusted international peace facilitator.”
The Qatari response came after media reports alleged that Iranian negotiators had demanded the immediate release of $12 billion in frozen assets held in Qatar as a precondition for advancing negotiations with the United States.
According to sources familiar with the discussions, Tehran considers the release of the funds a strict prerequisite for moving to the initial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) stage of the talks. The sources said Iran insists that guaranteed access to the $12 billion must be secured during the first phase before any preliminary diplomatic framework can proceed.
The reported $12 billion is said to represent only the first tranche within a broader financial mechanism that Iran reportedly seeks to establish for the phased release of additional frozen assets held in other countries during the course of negotiations.
In April, Reuters reported that Washington had agreed to release $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar and other financial institutions.
The funds, generated from Iranian oil sales to South Korea, were transferred to Qatari accounts under a 2023 agreement, but remained restricted to humanitarian purposes under US supervision, according to the report.
