The United States is considering the use of Iranian assets to help cover the costs of repairing damage from potential future Iranian attacks on Gulf countries, Reuters reported , citing a source familiar with the matter.
According to Reuters, the source revealed that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has directed officials to evaluate the cost of past damages in Gulf countries attributed to Iran and to explore whether Iranian assets could be utilized to cover those expenses. The source did not specify which Iranian assets were being considered. However, the proposal appears to go beyond just the Iranian assets currently frozen by the United States.
The proposed move, announced just one day after a series of Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, risks heightening tensions in already delicate diplomatic negotiations. This is particularly sensitive as Tehran has consistently demanded access to billions of dollars in Iranian funds frozen abroad as a key condition for any broader agreement with Washington.
Fresh US-Iran strikes test fragile ceasefire
The proposal regarding Iranian assets surfaced even as the United States and Iran traded military strikes despite a supposed ceasefire being in place.
Early Saturday, US forces conducted strikes on Iranian coastal radar installations in Goruk and on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to US Central Command, the operation was carried out after American forces intercepted Iranian drones that posed a threat to maritime traffic in the critical waterway.
Iran’s response
In response, Iran fired missiles targeting US military installations in Kuwait and Bahrain. Kuwaiti authorities reported that seven ballistic missiles flew over populated areas, causing material damage but resulting in no casualties. In Bahrain, authorities activated warning sirens and urged residents to take shelter.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed that the missile strikes had targeted American military bases in both Kuwait and Bahrain. However, the US military stated that six of the missiles were successfully intercepted, while another failed to reach its target.
These latest exchanges have highlighted the extreme fragility of the ceasefire and raised fears of a wider regional escalation.
Even though military tensions continues between the two countries, diplomatic channels remain open. However, the ceasefire has not been able to stop miliatry confronatition between the two countries.
