German Ministry of Finance: We are reviewing Iran's request to withdraw 300 million euros

On Monday, July 9, the German Ministry of Finance announced that it is reviewing Iran's request to withdraw 300 million euros from its bank account at a bank in Hamburg. Earlier, the German newspaper 'Bild' reported, citing several government officials, that Tehran is seeking to transfer 300 million euros from the 'European-Iranian Trade Bank', known as Eihbank, to Iran. According to Bild, the reason for this action is the concerns of Islamic Republic officials about the potential blocking of access to this money following the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions. Washington announced that the lifted sanctions against Iran would be reinstated after exiting the JCPOA in May. The U.S. has also asked all countries to stop buying oil from Iran by November of this year. In this context, Brian Hook, the U.S. State Department's special envoy for Iran, announced on July 2 that a new round of severe sanctions against Iran would begin on August 4, with subsequent measures starting on November 4, aiming to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero. According to Reuters, citing Bild, Iran has informed Germany's financial supervisory authority (BaFin) that it needs this amount to provide foreign currency for Iranian travelers going abroad. Bild reported that this authority is currently reviewing Tehran's request, which has already been communicated to senior German officials, including the Chancellor's office and the foreign and finance ministries. The German Central Bank and the 'European-Iranian Trade Bank' have refrained from commenting on this news. According to Reuters, the U.S. and Israel are concerned that the 300 million euros needed by Iran could be used to support armed groups in the Middle East, but German government officials stated that there is no evidence in this regard. Iran is accused by several countries of providing financial and military support to terrorist groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian group Hamas, both of which are listed as terrorist organizations by some countries; however, Tehran denies supporting 'terrorist groups', emphasizing its support for what it calls 'liberation groups'. The Bild report was published two days after Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, denied reports of the blocking of part of Iran's foreign assets in Germany in an interview with the Fars news agency, stating that the economic relations between the two countries are proceeding normally. Previously, Mohammad Dehghan, a member of the Legal and Judicial Commission of Parliament, had reported in an interview with Fars about the seizure and blocking of part of Iran's foreign assets in Germany.