Iran has rejected claims by the United States that Washington will decide how to use frozen Iranian assets once they are unfrozen [1, 2].

The dispute centers on the control of billions of dollars [3] held in the U.S. as part of a diplomatic deal. This disagreement highlights a fundamental rift in trust between the two nations regarding the execution of financial agreements.

An Iranian ambassador said that Tehran alone will decide how to use its assets once the funds are released [1, 2]. This statement contradicts assertions from U.S. officials who said the United States would retain decision-making authority over the use of the funds [2].

The conflict emerged on Tuesday following the first high-level negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials [1, 2]. While both parties have engaged in discussions to resolve the status of the funds, the disagreement over who holds the final say on spending remains a primary obstacle.

Tehran maintains that full control over any released assets is a prerequisite for the process [1, 2]. U.S. officials have pushed for a framework where the U.S. determines the allocation of the assets to ensure they are used according to agreed-upon terms [2].

The frozen assets, which total several billions of U.S. dollars [3], have been a point of contention for years. The current deadlock suggests that despite high-level talks, the two governments remain far apart on the legal and operational details of the asset release.

“Tehran alone will decide how to use its frozen assets once they are unfrozen.”

The clash over asset control indicates that financial sovereignty remains a non-negotiable point for Iran. By publicly contradicting U.S. claims, Tehran is signaling that it will not accept a supervised release of funds, which may prolong the diplomatic stalemate and complicate future negotiations over the broader U.S.-Iran deal.