Page 8 - IRANRptMar21

enough fissile material for nuclear weapon says Blinken
material for a nuclear weapon. He added that it could be only “a matter of weeks” if Iran continues to over-ride restraints in the nuclear deal.
In a TV interview, he said the US was willing to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal—designed to ensure Iran’s nuclear development programme is kept entirely civilian—if Iran does and then work with US allies and partners on a “longer and stronger” agreement encompassing other issues.
Iran has always denied having any programme aimed at making a nuclear weapon.
2.4​ ​Korea indicates Iranian funds will remain frozen unless US agrees to release
South Korea on February 23 said it would need to discuss any proposed release of frozen Iranian funds with the US. It made the point after Iran expressed hope that around $1bn in such monies held by the South Koreans and Japanese could be unblocked.
Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said Abdolnaser Hemmati, governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), had reached preliminary agreements with the ambassadors of Japan and South Korea on releases of funds that have become blocked because of US sanctions.
"He [Hemmati] has said that it seems that, in a first step, about $1 billion of foreign exchange resources of the Central Bank of Iran will be provided to us," Rabiei told a news conference streamed live on a government website.
But in Seoul, Reuters reported South Korean foreign ministry official as telling reporters: "The actual unfreezing of the assets will be carried out through consultations with related countries, including the United States."
Iran has repeatedly demanded the release of about $7bn of its funds frozen in South Korea and $3bn in Japan. At the same time, Tehran has denied that a seizure of a South Korean tanker for alleged environmental pollution on January 4 was linked to the dispute.
Iranian officials have discussed setting up channels to allow Tehran to use the funds blocked in Japan and South Korea to buy humanitarian goods.
Hope that at least some of the funds—largely deposited as payments for oil—might soon flow to Iran have risen as the Biden administration in the US attempts to find a way of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal that places curbs on Iran’s nuclear development programme in return for a shield against major sanctions.
Iran is also negotiating for the release of some funds in Iraq and Qatar in accounts that have been stymied by US sanctions.
There has been some discussion that Biden officials might assent to Iran receiving a large IMF loan to help it deal with impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The previous US government under Donald Trump thwarted efforts to make such a loan available, though Iran says that as an IMF member it is entitled to the credit. Enabling the provision of the crisis loan could help the White House get on better terms with the Iranians ahead of fresh efforts aimed at bringing about diplomacy that could resurrect the nuclear accord.
8​ IRAN Country Report March 2021 www.intellinews.com