John Kerry: Iran Will Receive Less Than $50 Billion in Cash

John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, announced that the amount of money Iran will receive after the implementation of the nuclear agreement will be 'less than $50 billion.' According to the U.S. State Department's media center, Mr. Kerry, speaking on Tuesday, March 4, in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, emphasized that the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers has 'closed the path for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.' According to the U.S. Secretary of State, the nuclear agreement enhances the security of the United States and its allies, such as Israel. Kerry's remarks about the amount Iran will receive following the nuclear agreement come as Reuters reported that following the nuclear agreement, Tehran gained access to about $100 billion of its frozen assets worldwide. However, as Reuters noted, 'most' of this money has been used to pay off Iran's previous debts and obligations. Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the spokesman for Hassan Rouhani's government, stated last month that after the nuclear agreement, Iran gained access to 'over $100 billion' of its assets. However, Mr. Nobakht added that the government's share of this amount was 'only six to seven billion dollars,' with most of the money belonging to the 'Central Bank and the National Development Fund.' The nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers was reached in July of this year in Vienna, under which Tehran agreed to halt many of its nuclear activities, and following the agency's approval, sanctions imposed by the U.S., the European Union, and other countries against Tehran were lifted in January of this year.