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Dispute about Frozen Iranian Assets Replaces Military Attacks over Hormuz
(Washington Post) Sammy Westfall - Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said an Iranian technical team would meet with Qatari officials about unfreezing $6 billion of frozen Iranian assets held in a Doha bank. The money has become the latest sticking point. Under the MoU, the assets were to be released as soon as that document was signed, under "mutually agree[d]" procedures. Since President Trump signed the agreement on June 18, both he and Vice President Vance, who negotiated the document, have said the money would be released only under U.S. control and would be used to purchase U.S. agricultural goods to benefit American farmers. Iranian officials have denied that was part of the agreement, saying that the government in Tehran would decide how to spend its money. The conflicting narratives followed several days of military attacks by both sides caused by differing interpretations of what they had agreed over opening the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic. Neither side announced any new attacks Monday.