The White House is engaged in covert negotiations with Tehran to reduce the risk of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons and secure the release of Americans held in Iranian prisons, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Sources reveal that indirect talks between the United States and Iran have been facilitated by Oman since December.
Given the backdrop of international sanctions and Iran's disconnection from the SWIFT global payment system, Tehran's primary objective is to unfreeze its assets. The Iranian authorities believe that the release of American prisoners and evidence confirming the absence of nuclear weapons will lead to the unblocking of their frozen assets.
The Biden administration officially denied any contact with Iran due to concerns about potential negative implications for Joe Biden's election campaign, as stated by The Wall Street Journal.
Previously, the United Nations International Court of Justice partially granted Iran's lawsuit against the United States regarding the freezing of foreign assets. Consequently, Washington is now obligated to provide compensation to Tehran.
The court concluded that the United States violated its obligations under the 1955 friendship treaty by freezing Iran's foreign assets. Although Iran and the United States have had hostile relations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the U.S. decision to withdraw from the agreement came only in 2018, accompanied by the imposition of numerous sanctions.
The court's ruling concluded that compensation must be paid to Tehran for the "illegal sanctions" imposed by Washington, as the freezing of assets occurred prior to the U.S. withdrawal from the friendship agreement.
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