US plan to use Iranian assets for Gulf reconstruction: reports
Iranians walk past a huge billboard featuring late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on a street in Tehran, Sunday. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is in Tehran to deliver messages from Pakistan's leadership to Iranian officials amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran war. EPA-Yonhap
The United States is reportedly considering redirecting Iranian assets to Gulf states that have been attacked by Tehran, according to several U.S. media outlets.
The reports, citing a source close to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, said the Treasury Department was considering using the funds to support U.S. allies in the region following Iranian attacks.
Bessent has commissioned comprehensive estimates of damage incurred since the start of the war with Iran, the reports said. Options were also being examined to make Iranian assets available for future repair and reconstruction work.
It was not initially known what type of assets were under consideration, for example money in frozen bank accounts or physical assets such as oil tankers.
Iran has repeatedly fired at Gulf states since the start of the war on Feb. 28, most recently targeting Kuwait and Bahrain in the early hours of Saturday. The U.S. military maintains bases there, located just a few hundred kilometres from Iran.
A ceasefire in the conflict has nominally been in place since April 8. Nevertheless, mutual attacks continue to occur. As part of ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, Tehran's demands include the release of frozen assets.