Iran president says US ultimately forced Israel to accept agreement

The latest ceasefire and peace agreement was a major victory for the Iranian people, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said. Under the deal, sanctions imposed on Iran’s oil and petrochemical sectors were lifted, and $6 billion in Iranian assets frozen in Qatar will be returned to the country, he added.

Pezeshkian said the $6 billion being released is part of a total of $12 billion in Iranian assets held in Qatar. “An agreement has been reached to return $6 billion, while efforts to recover the remaining funds are ongoing,” he said.

According to the Iranian president, agreements on the return of assets and the lifting of sanctions were reached during negotiations held in Switzerland and through a memorandum of understanding in Islamabad. He reiterated that Iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons, saying: “We assure the international community that our activities will be carried out in line with the country’s needs and within the framework of the policy we have declared.”

Pezeshkian also claimed that the United States ultimately forced Israel to accept the agreement. He added that Israel and some opposition groups remain opposed to its implementation.

The Iranian president said the government has already begun preparing post-war reconstruction plans and has increased funding for food subsidies to support the population.