Iran is pressing the United States to unlock $100 billion in frozen assets and grant it access to global oil markets as part of ongoing negotiations between the two countries. The demand, disclosed by people familiar with the talks, represents one of the largest financial requests Tehran has made in years of on-and-off diplomacy.
The size of the demand
The $100 billion figure covers Iranian funds held abroad that have been frozen under international sanctions. Much of that money sits in escrow accounts in countries like South Korea, Japan, and Iraq, where Iran has used oil revenues to pay for imports. Releasing the assets would give Tehran a massive injection of foreign currency at a time when its economy is struggling under the weight of sanctions and inflation.
Iranian officials argue the money belongs to the nation and that its continued freeze amounts to economic warfare. The demand is not new — Tehran has raised it in previous rounds of talks — but the current negotiations appear to be the most serious in months.
Oil market access
Alongside the asset release, Iran wants the ability to sell its crude freely on global markets. Before sanctions were tightened, Iran was one of OPEC's top producers, exporting about 2.5 million barrels a day. Even a partial return to those levels could lower oil prices and reshape supply dynamics, particularly at a time when OPEC+ is restraining output.
Iran has been selling oil through opaque channels to China and other buyers, but sanctions have limited its export volumes and forced it to sell at a discount. Full market access would allow Iran to compete openly and rebuild its oil revenue stream, which is the backbone of its economy.
What’s at stake in the talks
The negotiations are part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to revive or replace the 2015 nuclear deal, which the Trump administration abandoned in 2018. Iran has since enriched uranium well beyond the deal's limits, and U.S. intelligence believes Tehran could build a nuclear weapon within weeks if it chose to. The release of assets and oil market access are seen as key incentives for Iran to return to compliance.
But the talks face obstacles. Hardliners in both countries oppose concessions, and the two sides remain far apart on core issues. Iran insists on a full lifting of all sanctions before it rolls back its nuclear program; the U.S. wants verifiable steps first. The asset and oil demands add another layer of complexity to an already tangled negotiation.
Neither government has publicly confirmed the specifics of Iran's latest proposal. The U.S. State Department declined to comment on the figure, and Iranian officials have not issued a statement in recent days. Negotiators are expected to meet again in the coming weeks, though no date has been set.
