US Agrees to Release Frozen Iranian Assets in Iraq

Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council during a meeting in Tehran.
Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council during a meeting in Tehran.
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US Agrees to Release Frozen Iranian Assets in Iraq

Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council during a meeting in Tehran.
Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council during a meeting in Tehran.

Secretary-General of the Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce Hamid Hosseini revealed on Friday that the US has agreed to release frozen Iranian assets in Iraq.

"After the recent visit of the Iraqi Foreign Minister to Iran, the issue of releasing Iranian resources came to an end and Iraqi officials announced that some of these resources were released through various banks."

In remarks on Twitter, he cited Iraqi sources to confirm that Washington had agreed to release Iranian resources at the Trade Bank of Iraq.

"Several transactions have taken place," according to Hosseini.

Earlier, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein informed secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhan that efforts were being exerted to repay debts to Iran "soon."

Last month, Iran also held talks to release its frozen assets in South Korea and Japan.

South Korea and Iran have agreed a way forward that could see billions of dollars of frozen oil money unblocked, amounting to $7 billion. However, Seoul said it was seeking Washington's green light.



Russian Missile, Drone Attack Kills 2 People in Ukraine's Capital

A municipal worker clears the rubble from a balcony of a residential building, damaged after a Russian strike, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A municipal worker clears the rubble from a balcony of a residential building, damaged after a Russian strike, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
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Russian Missile, Drone Attack Kills 2 People in Ukraine's Capital

A municipal worker clears the rubble from a balcony of a residential building, damaged after a Russian strike, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
A municipal worker clears the rubble from a balcony of a residential building, damaged after a Russian strike, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Russia launched a ballistic missile and a barrage of drones at Ukraine's capital before dawn on Wednesday, killing at least two people in apartment buildings, Ukrainian officials said.

Eight people were also wounded in the attack, including four children, the Kyiv City Military Administration said in a post on Telegram.
The attack came before Russia's planned unilateral 72-hour ceasefire in the more than three-year war to coincide with celebrations in Moscow marking Victory Day in World War II, The Associated Press reported. The US has proposed a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine has accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for ceasefire terms more to its liking.
The Kremlin said that the truce, ordered on “humanitarian grounds,” would start on Thursday and last through Saturday to mark the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expecting foreign dignitaries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, to watch a military parade in Red Square during the 80th anniversary celebrations. Any Ukrainian attack, like Tuesday's drone barrage that forced all four international airports around Moscow to temporarily suspend flights, would be embarrassing for the Russian leader.
The Kremlin announced Tuesday that Putin will travel to China at the end of August and beginning of September. Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Moscow has drawn closer to China as Western countries sought to isolate Beijing diplomatically. Russia has become increasingly dependent economically on China because of Western sanctions.
At least one ballistic missile and 28 Russian drones were recorded in Kyiv's airspace, authorities said. Air defense forces shot down the missile and 11 drones.
A five-story residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district in the center of the capital was hit by drone debris, sparking a fire in several apartments where the victims were found, he said. Four people, including three children, were hospitalized, while others received treatment on site.
In the Sviatoshynskyi district, fire broke out across multiple upper-floor apartments of a nine-story building after drone debris impact, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration. Five people were rescued from the blaze, which spanned 100 square meters.
In Dniprovskyi district, the upper floors of a high-rise were partially destroyed by a drone strike, but no injuries were reported. In Solomianskyi, a ballistic missile was intercepted by air defense, with the warhead falling and damaging nonresidential infrastructure. One person was wounded in that strike.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the attack. Russian officials reported shooting down dozens of Ukrainian drones overnight, with local Gov. Alexander Bogomaz writing on social media that more than 140 airborne targets had been destroyed over Russia’s Bryansk region.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that local air defenses had repelled an attack by nine drones close to the Russian capital.
Drone attacks were also reported over the Tula region, where officials reported five drone attacks, and the Yaroslavl region, where local leader Gov. Mikhail Evraev said three drones had been destroyed.
In the city of Saransk, 630 kilometers (390 miles) east of Moscow, officials announced Wednesday that kindergartens, schools, colleges and universities would close temporarily. The message came shortly after local Gov. Artem Zdunov warned residents about a potential drone threat over the city. Local officials also posted warnings on social media against sharing photos and videos that showed the fallout from drone strikes.