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Investing.com — A senior Iranian official stated on Saturday that the U.S. has agreed to release frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar and other international banks, a move Tehran views as a signal of “seriousness” in the Islamabad peace talks.
While the U.S. has yet to issue a public comment, the source indicated that the unfreezing of these funds is “directly linked” to ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The reported development provides a potential breakthrough for global energy markets.
A high-stakes diplomatic summit begins today in Islamabad, Pakistan, where U.S. and Iranian delegations are set to meet in the afternoon for what Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has termed a “make or break” attempt to secure a permanent ceasefire.
The talks represent the most significant effort to date to resolve a six-week conflict that has shuttered the Strait of Hormuz, removed 15% of global oil supply, and cost the Pentagon an estimated $25 billion to $35 billion.
The “Tehran toll booth” and the cost of war
The primary economic objective for the U.S. delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, is the unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. delegation led by JD Vance has arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, for the talks set to kick off in the afternoon.
The 30-mile-wide waterway has become a symbol of a shifting global order, with Iranian officials recently asserting they will determine which ships can pass and “at what price”, a move analysts are calling the “Tehran toll booth.”
President Trump has made the complete opening of the Strait a non-negotiable condition of the current two-week ceasefire. However, the task remains physically daunting due to the “haphazard” mining of the waterway.
The Iranian delegation, led by Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Islamabad on a flight carrying belongings of school children killed in early-war strikes, a signal of the deep-seated grievances entering the room.
Tehran has raised new preconditions for the talks, including the release of “blocked assets” and a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Strategic leverage and the missile “buffer”
While U.S. intelligence suggests Iran’s military capacity has been significantly degraded, with its missile inventory roughly halved, the regime retains substantial firepower.
Israeli officials estimate that Iran still possesses more than 1,000 medium-range ballistic missiles, many of which remain hidden in deep underground mountain complexes.
A $4.7 billion Pentagon contract was recently awarded to for Patriot interceptors, as the U.S. continues to bolster regional defenses even as it seeks a diplomatic off-ramp.
Adding to the tension, Trump warned on Friday that the U.S. is “loading up ships” with ammunition should the Islamabad negotiations fail.
Domestically, the administration is facing intense pressure as gas prices climb, and a reported two out of three Americans now favor an end to the war.
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