{"id":3111,"date":"2026-06-07T17:37:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T17:37:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111"},"modified":"2026-06-07T17:37:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T17:37:22","slug":"trump-says-u-s-open-to-unfreezing-iranian-funds-easing-sanctions-if-they-behave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111","title":{"rendered":"Trump says U.S. open to unfreezing Iranian funds, easing sanctions \u2018if they behave\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The president, appearing on \u201cMeet the Press,\u201d said the U.S. will help Iran eliminate its enriched uranium if a peace deal is reached \u2014 and warned of harsh military action if talks fail.<\/strong><\/p>

Read more Algeria extends national team coach Vladimir Petkovic before departing for US and start of World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One following a trip to Wisconsin on Friday. (Mark Schiefelbein\/AP)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

President Donald Trump said the United States would not lift sanctions on Iran or unfreeze its assets up front as part of any peace deal with Tehran and would consider doing so only if other conditions are met, he said on NBC\u2019s \u201cMeet the Press.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they behave, if they do a good job, we start talking,\u201d Trump told NBC\u2019s Kristen Welker in an interview aired Sunday.<\/p>\n

The question of economic relief for Iran has emerged as a major sticking point as the two sides pursue an agreement to end the war on Iran, which began Feb. 28, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In recent weeks, both sides have signaled they are \u201cclose\u201d on a deal, but one has yet to emerge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re very close. We have a couple of points. They don\u2019t even seem like big points,\u201d Trump said in the interview, which was taped in Wisconsin on Friday.<\/p>\n

Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran\u2019s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, told CNN on Friday<\/a> that \u201cif [Trump] wants to reach an agreement with Iran, this $24 billion is a test of trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

An Iranian official, who spoke with The Washington Post<\/a> late last month, said an agreed-upon memorandum of understanding that would open the Strait of Hormuz includes a first phase that would unlock $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets and lift the U.S. naval blockade of Iran\u2019s ports. CNN and others have reported<\/a> that Tehran wants an additional $12 billion to be unfrozen in a subsequent phase.<\/p>\n

At the time, a diplomat familiar with the talks said that Iran\u2019s frozen assets would not be released until it begins giving up its highly enriched uranium, a key U.S. demand.<\/p>\n

Asked by Welker why Iran hasn\u2019t agreed to the U.S. ceasefire terms, which include the removal of its highly enriched uranium, Trump said: \u201cBecause they\u2019re strong. They\u2019re proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are things they never thought they\u2019d be doing that they\u2019re going to have to do. They\u2019ve got no choice,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd it takes a little while.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Trump administration has made limiting Iran\u2019s capacity to build a nuclear weapon a top goal, and Tehran\u2019s openness to turning over its enriched uranium is another significant point of contention in the talks.<\/p>\n

If a deal is reached, Trump said, the United States will work with Iran, using U.S. equipment, to remove and destroy its highly enriched uranium. \u201cIf we make a deal that now we\u2019re friendly, we\u2019ll all go together,\u201d he said.<\/p>

Read more Connor McDavid ties Wayne Gretzky with his fifth Ted Lindsay Award honor<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cNow, if we don\u2019t make a deal, then we\u2019re going to take them out militarily, very harshly. And we\u2019ll wait until we do that before we go, in which case we\u2019ll have safety either way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As he\u2019s done in the past, the president said that the United States has \u201ctotally destroyed\u201d Iran\u2019s military. He added that \u201cmaybe 21, 22 percent of their missiles\u201d remain. The Post reported last month that U.S. intelligence assesses<\/a> Iran retains significant ballistic missile capabilities.<\/p>\n

Trump said he has not spoken directly to Mojtaba Khamenei, the regime insider who succeed his father as Iran\u2019s supreme leader, but said he would be open to if invited. He described the leader as \u201cyounger. I think more rational. Injured. He\u2019s pretty badly injured. So there\u2019s a certain bravery there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about the whereabouts of Khamenei, who has been reportedly living in secrecy, Trump said \u201cI don\u2019t want to say whether or not I know where he is. But there\u2019s a good probability that I do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On Lebanon, which is also in shaky negotiations to end the war between Hezbollah and Israel, Trump said, the United States is \u201cnot demanding\u201d but thinks Lebanese leaders would \u201clike to see\u201d Lebanon be part of a short-term deal.<\/p>\n

The United States, Israel and Lebanon announced a ceasefire deal last week, contingent on Hezbollah ending its attacks. But Hezbollah militants called it a \u201cfarce,\u201d and both sides continued attacks.<\/p>\n

Israel on Sunday struck Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs, days after the ceasefire deal was announced. Defense Minister Israel Katz said last week that the Israel Defense Forces refrained from powerful strikes in the capital, \u201cexcept for targeted assassinations,\u201d following a U.S. reques<\/a>t<\/a>. He warned then that Israel would strike Dahiyeh, a southern Beirut suburb where the militant group Hezbollah holds sway, if Israel\u2019s northern communities are targeted.<\/p>\n

Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei on Sunday wrote <\/a>on X that Iran will deliver a \u201cpainful and decisive\u201d response to Israel\u2019s attack on Dahiyeh. \u201cLook at the sky over the occupied lands tonight,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

When pressed by Welker to account for how his campaign pledge of \u201cno new wars\u201d squares with the U.S. joining Israel to launch the Iran war, Trump claimed he made no such promise and that this is \u201cnot an endless war.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m doing you and everybody else a big favor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said he put out the \u201chorrible threat\u201d of Iran having nuclear weapons for \u201cmany years\u201d and now is going to put it out \u201cpermanently.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to do it either through negotiation, where we\u2019re very close to a deal, or I\u2019m going to blow the hell out of them, to be honest with you,\u201d he said, calling the latter \u201cactually the easier path.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Alexandra Eala wins the Birmingham Open for her 2nd WTA 125 singles title<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The president, appearing on \u201cMeet the Press,\u201d said the U.S. will help Iran eliminate its enriched uranium if a peace deal is reached \u2014 and warned of harsh military action if talks fail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump says U.S. open to unfreezing Iranian funds, easing sanctions \u2018if they behave\u2019 - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump says U.S. open to unfreezing Iranian funds, easing sanctions \u2018if they behave\u2019 - Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The president, appearing on \u201cMeet the Press,\u201d said the U.S. will help Iran eliminate its enriched uranium if a peace deal is reached \u2014 and warned of harsh military action if talks fail.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-07T17:37:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/07a2841775337bd8b69263e3df858903-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3111#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3111\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\"},\"headline\":\"Trump says U.S. open to unfreezing Iranian funds, easing sanctions \u2018if they behave\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-07T17:37:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3111\"},\"wordCount\":1018,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3111#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/4594e2760191ddaf88d50be1d961fa8e-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3111#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3111\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3111\",\"name\":\"Trump says U.S. open to unfreezing Iranian funds, easing sanctions \u2018if they behave\u2019 - Moving Insider USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3111#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3111#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/4594e2760191ddaf88d50be1d961fa8e-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-07T17:37:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3111#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3111\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3111#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/4594e2760191ddaf88d50be1d961fa8e-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/4594e2760191ddaf88d50be1d961fa8e-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=3111#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Trump says U.S. open to unfreezing Iranian funds, easing sanctions \u2018if they behave\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Moving Insider USA\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Trump says U.S. open to unfreezing Iranian funds, easing sanctions \u2018if they behave\u2019 - Moving Insider USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Trump says U.S. open to unfreezing Iranian funds, easing sanctions \u2018if they behave\u2019 - Moving Insider USA","og_description":"The president, appearing on \u201cMeet the Press,\u201d said the U.S. will help Iran eliminate its enriched uranium if a peace deal is reached \u2014 and warned of harsh military action if talks fail.","og_url":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111","og_site_name":"Moving Insider USA","article_published_time":"2026-06-07T17:37:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/07a2841775337bd8b69263e3df858903-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/#\/schema\/person\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03"},"headline":"Trump says U.S. open to unfreezing Iranian funds, easing sanctions \u2018if they behave\u2019","datePublished":"2026-06-07T17:37:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111"},"wordCount":1018,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4594e2760191ddaf88d50be1d961fa8e-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["Interesting"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111","url":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111","name":"Trump says U.S. open to unfreezing Iranian funds, easing sanctions \u2018if they behave\u2019 - Moving Insider USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4594e2760191ddaf88d50be1d961fa8e-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-07T17:37:22+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/#\/schema\/person\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4594e2760191ddaf88d50be1d961fa8e-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4594e2760191ddaf88d50be1d961fa8e-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3111#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Trump says U.S. open to unfreezing Iranian funds, easing sanctions \u2018if they behave\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/","name":"Moving Insider USA","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/#\/schema\/person\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com"],"url":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3111\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}