28 Mar 2020; MEMO: An Iranian official announced on Friday that some of Tehran’s frozen funds abroad under US sanctions have been released as part of measures to help Iranian authorities combat the spread of COVID-19.
Iran International channel quoted a member of the National Security and Foreign Affairs committee in Parliament, Hishmatallah Falahat Beeshah, stating: “Following the measures taken, some of Iran’s frozen funds were released abroad, but it is not sufficient.”
According to the source, the US has agreed to grant sanction waivers to some countries, allowing them to release frozen Iranian assets to assist Tehran in purchasing medicine and equipment to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
The governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Abdolnaser Hemmati, indicated on Wednesday that he received news about releasing a portion of Iranian funds that were frozen abroad.
However, on Friday the US State Department dismissed this, after the US Treasury on Thursday imposed new sanctions targeting individuals and companies accused of having links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
