Escalating Tensions Prompt US To Postpone Iran Talks

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a meeting of the Security Council on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas at UN headquarters in New York, October 24, 2023.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a meeting of the Security Council on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas at UN headquarters in New York, October 24, 2023.

Washington has communicated a potential shift in its stance regarding Iranian assets held in Qatari banks and postponed talks on nuclear issues.

The message was allegedly delivered by Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit to Doha on October 13, according to Amwaj Media.

The delay is suspected to be driven by the tensions surrounding the war waged by Iran-backed terror group Hamas on October 7 against Israel when thousands of its militia slaughtered at least 1,400 civilians and soldiers and took at least 220 more hostage.

Since then, attacks have taken place on US bases in Iraq and Syria, with Iran's Yemen proxy, the Houthis, also sending missiles towards Israel since the war broke out, intercepted by the US and Saudi Arabia.

According to Amwaj Media, a source denied the war in Gaza was to blame for the postponement.

In August, Tehran and Washington struck a deal that led to the liberation of five American hostages held in Iran, in exchange for the release of $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets located in South Korea. These Iranian assets were first transferred to Switzerland's central bank for conversion before being subsequently moved to Iranian bank accounts based in Qatar.

The United States has made itself clear in its desire for Iran to stay out of the Israel-Hamas conflict and warned it to control its Lebanon proxy, Hezbollah. It has also pledged its commitment to support Israel as it vows to rid the Gaza Strip of the terror group designated by the US, EU and UK.

As of the time of this publication, the US State Department has not issued an official statement regarding the developments.