What to know about Iran's billions of dollars in frozen funds

What to know about Iran's billions of dollars in frozen funds Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Mon, 05/25/2026 - 16:46 Access to just $6bn could unlock a long-term ceasefire between the US and Iran, should Trump be willing People look at the gold shop display in Tehran Bazaar, in Tehran, Iran, on 16 May 2026 (Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters) Off Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammed Ghalibaf has for weeks insisted that unlocking access to his country's money should be a confidence-building measure, if not a precondition, for talks with the US . The issue now appears to be on the table during this latest and seemingly most aggressive round of diplomacy to date, towards a long-term end to the war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and paring down Iran's nuclear capability. Reports from earlier this week suggest that up to 25 percent of all of Iran's frozen funds globally could be released by the US if Iran surrenders 400 kilograms of enriched uranium and shuts down its nuclear facilities.