Iran’s negotiating team reportedly wants a massive payout before it will sign any preliminary agreement with the United States, according to sources close to the talks cited by Tasnim News Agency and picked up by international wire services.
The reported figure is staggering: roughly $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets, with half demanded up front and the other half released during a 60-day negotiating window that would follow any memorandum of understanding.
The demand surfaced as Pakistan-mediated talks between Washington and Tehran continue without a final agreement. President Trump has maintained maximum sanctions pressure on the regime while leaving a diplomatic channel open.
CNN contributor Scott Jennings posted on X that he had received a direct briefing from a senior Trump administration official and pushed back hard on the narrative that Washington is preparing to hand Tehran a blank check.
🚨After receiving a briefing from a Senior TRUMP Administration Official on the status of the Iran negotiations (someone in the know & not just speculating), I can tell you the following:
-USA IS NOT GIVING IRANIANS MONEY FOR NOTHING. All speculation and propaganda to the…
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) May 24, 2026
That message from inside the administration is important context. Whatever Tehran is demanding, the Trump team is signaling publicly that any release of frozen funds will come with enforceable conditions, not as a goodwill gesture.
L’Orient Today carried the Reuters report on the demand, which traced the claim back to Iran’s Tasnim news agency and a source close to Tehran’s negotiating team:
The reported demand centers on roughly $24 billion in Iranian funds frozen overseas.
According to the report, Tehran wants $12 billion released when a memorandum of understanding is announced.
The remaining $12 billion would then be transferred during a 60-day negotiation period tied to the broader talks.
Tasnim attributed the claim to a source close to Iran’s negotiating team, which means the demand is coming through Iranian-linked reporting rather than an official U.S. announcement.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf traveled to Qatar to work on the financial mechanism behind the demand.
Qatar matters because frozen Iranian funds have already been tied to accounts and transfer mechanisms routed through Doha.
The reported package is connected to larger issues in the talks, including the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. naval blockade, sanctions relief, and Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile.
The central caveat remains important: U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed a final agreement on those terms.
ADVERTISEMENTThat leaves the $24 billion figure as a reported Iranian demand, not a concession President Trump’s team has publicly accepted.
The structure of the demand is revealing. Tehran wants the money flowing before a comprehensive agreement is even reached, not after.
That is the kind of arrangement that burned the United States during the Obama-era nuclear deal, when billions were released and Iran’s behavior only got worse. President Trump pulled out of that deal during his first term for exactly that reason.
Meanwhile, reporting from Iran International adds another layer. Qatar appears willing to front part of the money Tehran is seeking and be reimbursed by Washington later, a mechanism designed to ensure Iran “would not be left waiting” if the U.S. delays payment.
Qatar appears set to provide part of the money sought by Tehran and later be reimbursed by Washington, so Iran “would not be left waiting” if the US delays, said Mohammad Marandi, an Iranian state TV pundit and member of Iran’s delegation to Pakistan-mediated talks with the… pic.twitter.com/j3QrW9KVEJ
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) May 25, 2026
Mohammad Marandi, who made the Qatar comments, is an Iranian state TV pundit and a member of Iran’s delegation to the Pakistan-mediated talks. His public statements often reflect the regime’s negotiating posture, not independent analysis.
Iran International laid out why Qatar has become central to the frozen-assets dispute:
Frozen Iranian assets have become one of the main sticking points in the U.S.-Iran talks.
Tehran wants guaranteed access to money before any preliminary agreement can move forward.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati all traveled to Doha as speculation grew around the financial side of the talks.
ADVERTISEMENTThe presence of Iran’s central bank governor pointed directly to the frozen-funds issue.
The Doha discussions have also been linked to the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile.
That means the money question is not a side issue. It is tied to the same framework that could affect global shipping, sanctions pressure, and the nuclear file.
Iranian state-linked reporting has also emphasized that Tehran does not want vague promises.
The regime wants a concrete first step on asset access and a guaranteed mechanism for later releases.
That is why the reported Qatar bridge is so politically sensitive: it could let Iran get money quickly while allowing Washington to argue it is not directly wiring cash to Tehran.
The fact that Tehran is floating a Qatar-backed financial bridge tells you something about the regime’s priorities. This is about cash first, concessions later.
For the Trump administration, the challenge is familiar. Iran needs sanctions relief desperately.
Its economy is under enormous pressure, and its proxy network has been degraded after the events of the past two years.
That gives Washington leverage, but only if it holds the line on preconditions.
No final deal exists. Talks are active but unresolved, and the reported $24 billion figure has not been publicly confirmed by U.S. officials.
What is clear is that Tehran is testing the limits of what it can extract.
The Trump administration says it will not give Iran money for nothing. The next few weeks will show whether that line holds.
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
