UAE reportedly to unlock frozen Iranian funds amid US ceasefire push, Abu Dhabi denies
A note leaked to Reuters said the United Arab Emirates agreed to unlock billions in frozen Iranian funds. Abu Dhabi swiftly issued a "categorical" denial of the report.
Reuters, citing three anonymous diplomatic sources, reported the figure at $6.2 billion, with the funds to be transferred to Syria reconstruction and humanitarian aid accounts. A brief UAE Foreign Ministry statement called the report "categorically untrue".
Iran Central Bank Governor Mohammad Reza Farzin told a Tehran press conference: "We expect a significant share of our overseas reserves to be released; but we are awaiting a formal statement from Abu Dhabi on this".
Washington Institute for Near East Policy director Robert Satloff commented: "The funds in question sit in the outer ring of the US-Iran framework; the February 2026 amendment to the OFAC licence framework makes such a transaction technically possible". The Tehran Stock Exchange closed up 1.8%; the rial held steady at 425,000. Not investment advice.
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