BURGENSTOCK, Switzerland, June 22 — U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Monday that any potential release of Iranian assets as part of a broader diplomatic agreement would include strict safeguards to ensure the funds are not used to finance terrorism.
Following high-level talks in Switzerland, Vance said the framework under discussion would channel Iranian funds toward civilian purposes and economic cooperation.
“If we ever unfreeze Iranian assets, we can ensure that Iranian money goes to help the people of Iran and not to fund terrorism,” Vance told reporters.
He said discussions focused on mechanisms that would direct the funds toward the purchase of U.S. agricultural goods, aiming to support both Iranian civilians and American farmers.
Vance described the ongoing negotiations as an early but important step toward a broader agreement between Washington and Tehran.
“The final deal is the house. We set the foundation. We haven’t built the house, but we’ve laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people,” he said.
The vice president took part in discussions with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Burgenstock, building on a memorandum of understanding signed last week. The talks were facilitated by Qatar and Pakistan.
Under a proposal reportedly developed by senior U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner in coordination with Qatari officials, sanctions relief could be tied to purchases of American agricultural commodities such as wheat, corn, and soybeans.
Vance said the arrangement would be structured with full transparency.
“If Iranian assets are ever unfrozen, they’re going to go to make American farmers richer and to feed the Iranian people,” he said.
While mediators reported “encouraging progress” on several issues, the talks were briefly disrupted following comments by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Iranian state media reported that discussions were temporarily suspended after what it described as an “insulting message” from Trump, who warned Tehran over support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and threatened further military action.
Despite the setback, Iranian representatives remained at the venue before later returning to Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said progress had been made on reducing tensions in Lebanon, but stressed that the success of the agreement would depend on implementation of security mechanisms.
He said mediators had reported “major progress” toward ending hostilities.
As of Monday, a ceasefire that began over the weekend remained in effect, with no reported Israeli strikes or Hezbollah attacks.
The memorandum signed last week by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian allows a 60-day window for negotiations covering Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions, and asset recovery. Technical discussions are expected to continue in Switzerland in the coming days.
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