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Iranian source says US has agreed to unfreeze Iranian funds held in Qatar, other countries

A senior U.S. official has rejected claims made by Iranian source regarding the release of Tehran’s frozen assets.

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A senior Iranian source said on Saturday the U.S. had agreed to release Iranian frozen assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks, welcoming ​the move as a sign of “seriousness” in reaching a deal with Washington in talks ‌in Islamabad, Reuters reported.

The source, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters that unfreezing the assets was “directly linked to ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz”, which is expected to be ​a key issue in the talks.

The senior source did not give a value for ​the assets that Washington had agreed to unfreeze. A second Iranian source ⁠said the United States had agreed to release $6 billion of frozen Iranian funds held by Qatar.

A senior U.S. official has rejected claims made by Iranian source regarding the release of Tehran’s frozen assets. In a statement to CBS News, the official said that the United States has not agreed to unfreeze any Iranian funds.

According to the report, talks with Iran have not yet begun, and therefore no agreements or arrangements have been discussed at this stage.

The $6 billion, originally frozen in 2018, had been due for release in 2023 as part of a U.S.-Iranian prisoner swap but the funds were ​again frozen by the administration of President Joe Biden following the October 7, 2023 attacks ​on Israel by Iran’s ally, the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

U.S. officials said at the time that Iran ‌would not ⁠be able to access the money for the foreseeable future, stressing that Washington retained the right to completely freeze the account, read the report.

The funds stem from Iranian oil sales to South Korea and had been blocked in South Korean banks after President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran ​in 2018 – during his ​first term in ⁠the White House – and scrapped a deal between world powers and Tehran over its nuclear programme.

Under the September 2023 U.S.–Iran prisoner swap mediated ​by Doha, the money was transferred to Qatari bank accounts. The prisoner ​swap involved ⁠the release of five U.S. citizens detained in Iran in exchange for the funds’ release and the release of five Iranians held in the United States.

U.S. officials said at that time that ⁠the money ​was restricted to humanitarian use only, to be disbursed ​to approved vendors for food, medicine, medical equipment and agricultural goods shipped into Iran under U.S. Treasury oversight.

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US imposes sanctions on 13 tied to Iran weapons procurement

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “Treasury will not tolerate any support to ​the regime and will continue to identify, expose, and isolate Iran’s ⁠enablers.”

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The US government announced fresh sanctions on Tuesday against 13 individuals and entities, including some based in Russia, China, Hong Kong ​and Pakistan, saying they helped Iran procure weapons and components.

The sanctions announced by the ‌Treasury and State departments are part of the Trump administration’s effort to isolate Iran economically and force it to negotiate an end to the war that began with a US-Israeli strike on Iran ​on February 28.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “Treasury will not tolerate any support to ​the regime and will continue to identify, expose, and isolate Iran’s ⁠enablers.”

Treasury said the sanctions were aimed at degrading Tehran’s ability to reconstitute its ​weapons programs, while increasing the costs for those who supported its procurement efforts.

Those targeted ​in Tuesday’s sanctions announcements include:

Seyyed Asghar Alizadeh Tabatabai, a Beijing-based representative of Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics agency, who Treasury said had coordinated the procurement of finished weapons systems ​and dual-use components in China on Iran’s behalf.

Iran-based Kavoshcom Asia R and D ​Group, which Treasury said had procured electronics including connectors for Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company.

Hong Kong-based ‌EC ⁠Mojo Technology Co Limited, which Treasury said had provided electronic components in support of Kavoshcom’s procurement efforts, and EC Mojo’s China-based representative Li Fen.

Pakistan-based Waseem Pasha Tajammal, who serves as chairman of Cavalier Group, a privately owned defense company with locations in ​Pakistan and internationally.

Joint Stock ​Company Experimental Design ⁠Bureau Named After A.S. Yakovlev, a Russia-based aircraft manufacturer.

MG-Flot LLC, a Russia-based shipping company whose vessels transport weapons for the Russian ​government.

Saha Airlines, an Iran-based airline affiliated with the country’s air ​force.

Brett Erickson, ⁠managing principal with Obsidian Risk Advisors, said the latest sanctions action would do little to impede Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones in the Strait of Hormuz. “This is ⁠optics ​management for the Trump administration to claim ‘We’re hammering ​them,’ when the reality is we’re poking them with a toothpick,” he said.

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US, Iran separately talk with mediators in latest bid to end war

US officials separately ​spoke with mediators on Monday, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House, without giving further details.

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US and Iranian officials spoke separately with mediators on Monday as part ‌of a renewed effort to end seven months of war, according to officials of both countries, Reuters reported.

Any further talks are expected to focus on an amended version of a seven-day proposal that Iran presented last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, ​an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.

The war began in late February with US and Israeli ​attacks on Iran, killing thousands of people over seven months and shocking global markets ⁠as vital waterways for oil remained choked. The US and Iran have twice previously agreed to ceasefires in ​mediated peace talks, in April and June. Those agreements quickly unraveled.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who remained in New ​York after attending the General Assembly, said Iran expected to receive the US response to its latest ceasefire proposals and its conditions for restoring passage of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, according to state news agency IRNA.

“If the Americans claim ​they are seeking an agreement or a peaceful solution, we have presented that solution,” Araqchi said.

US officials separately ​spoke with mediators on Monday, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House, without giving further details.

Iran’s seven-day plan envisages an end to all hostilities in Iran and Lebanon, the unfreezing of billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian assets, an end to sanctions on Iranian oil and the lifting of the US blockade on Iranian ports.

Iran would then allow the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for ​oil tankers, and the two ​sides would also resume ⁠talks on Iran’s nuclear program and Trump’s wish to seize or eliminate its highly enriched uranium, read the report.

Trump said on Saturday he had rejected Iran’s proposal, saying Iran wanted a swift ​agreement because of the crippling economic pressure it is under. However, he also told ​Axios on ⁠Sunday that he expected US negotiators to engage in further talks this week.

Araqchi said on Sunday that mediators had not formally conveyed a US rejection, and that Iran was awaiting Washington’s definitive position before deciding its next steps.

“Our conditions are ⁠clear, and ​any move toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on ​these conditions being met,” he said on Sunday, adding that only a negotiated solution could resolve the impasse.

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Floods, landslides kill 56 in India and 14 in Nepal

In India, the Central Water Commission said 30 river-monitoring stations across seven states indicated a “severe situation”.

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Heavy rain and storms have triggered floods and landslides that killed 56 people in India, while in Nepal, 14 have died and another 11 are missing, with authorities there warning on Sunday ​that more flash floods are possible, Reuters reported.

India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh recorded 66.5 mm of ​rain between September 25 and the morning of September 27, compared with a ⁠normal 7.6 mm for the period, Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod, the state’s relief commissioner, said on Sunday.

Authorities are ​carrying out rescue operations in waterlogged areas and distributing relief, while officials have been told to assess ​crop damage and provide compensation.

In addition to the 56 deaths, 46 people have been injured and more than 1,000 houses have been damaged.

Nepali authorities warned of possible flash floods in 49 of the country’s 77 districts, with more than half ​facing high flood or flash-flood risks as water levels in major rivers and tributaries continued to rise.

Shanti ​Mahat, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said Rasuwa and Nuwakot, areas hit by ‌last month’s deadly ⁠floods that killed more than 1,450 people and left thousands still missing, should remain “alert” but were not currently considered high-risk areas.

Power supply has been completely disrupted in the Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Baglung districts, with authorities working to restore electricity, energy ministry officials said.

Flooding of the Rahuganga River damaged the structure and ​transmission-line towers of a ​40-megawatt hydropower project, Water ⁠Resources and Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said.

In India, the Central Water Commission said 30 river-monitoring stations across seven states indicated a “severe situation”.

Several major rivers, including ​the Ganga, Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati and Narmada, were above danger levels, read the report.

Floods and ​landslides also disrupted ⁠telecommunications in parts of Nepal after damage to optical fibres and power supplies, Communications Minister Bikram Timilsinha said.

In a separate incident in Nepal, 10 local workers were also missing after an avalanche buried the base camp ⁠of the ​7,126-metre (23,379-ft) Himlung Himal in the northern Manang district, hiking officials ​said.

The workers had been setting up tents for foreign climbers, who were not present when the avalanche struck.

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