Merve Gül Aydoğan Ağlarcı
13 June 2026•Update: 13 June 2026
US President Donald Trump has agreed to unfreeze $24 billion in Iranian assets while avoiding explicitly confirming this, a senior Iranian official said Friday, according to the Fars News Agency.
Mohsen Rezaei, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, made the remarks during a memorial ceremony in the southwestern city of Dezful.
According to the report, Rezaei said Iran's recent conflict "boosted" the country's standing globally, claiming the country's deterrence capacity had grown to a point where "Trump the gambler" now fears negotiating with Tehran.
He also argued that US policy is increasingly shaped by Israeli influence, asserting that America has effectively become a "colony" of the "Zionist regime" due to lobbying within its decision-making circles.
Rezaei's remarks followed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying Friday that a proposed memorandum of understanding with the US would formally end the conflict across all fronts, including Lebanon, and pave the way for negotiations on sanctions relief.
Separately, a senior Trump administration official said Friday that the US expects to sign an agreement ending the war with Iran "within the next few days," with the deal expected to lead to the dismantling of Iran's nuclear program.
