Iran Says its Released Assets Abroad Will Be Used for Domestic Output 

06 August 2023, Iran, Tehran: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry (not pictured) during their meeting. (Iranian Presidency Office/dpa)
06 August 2023, Iran, Tehran: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry (not pictured) during their meeting. (Iranian Presidency Office/dpa)
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Iran Says its Released Assets Abroad Will Be Used for Domestic Output 

06 August 2023, Iran, Tehran: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry (not pictured) during their meeting. (Iranian Presidency Office/dpa)
06 August 2023, Iran, Tehran: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry (not pictured) during their meeting. (Iranian Presidency Office/dpa)

Iran's released assets abroad will be used to enhance domestic production, President Ebrahim Raisi was quoted as saying on Wednesday by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Last week, Iran and Washington reached an agreement whereby five US citizens detained in Iran would be released while $6 billion of Iranian assets in South Korea would be unfrozen and sent to an account in Qatar that Iran could access.

US officials have said Iranian funds will be put in a restricted account and used for humanitarian purposes such as buying food or medicine.

As a first step in what may be a complex set of maneuvers, Iran allowed four detained US citizens to move into house arrest from Tehran's Evin prison, a lawyer for one said. A fifth was already under home confinement.

The United States would release some Iranians from US prisons as part of the deal, Iran's mission to the United Nations said.



Chinese Coast Guard Says it 'Warns off' Japanese Aircraft Near Disputed Island Chain

File Photo: A Chinese coastguard vessel is seen close to the islands on Saturday in a picture released by Japanese maritime authorities. Photograph: AP
File Photo: A Chinese coastguard vessel is seen close to the islands on Saturday in a picture released by Japanese maritime authorities. Photograph: AP
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Chinese Coast Guard Says it 'Warns off' Japanese Aircraft Near Disputed Island Chain

File Photo: A Chinese coastguard vessel is seen close to the islands on Saturday in a picture released by Japanese maritime authorities. Photograph: AP
File Photo: A Chinese coastguard vessel is seen close to the islands on Saturday in a picture released by Japanese maritime authorities. Photograph: AP

China's coast guard said it had taken "necessary control measures" to warn a Japanese civilian aircraft that was flying in the vicinity of a disputed island chain in the East China Sea on Saturday, Reuters reported.

Coast guard vessels deployed helicopters to "warn off" the aircraft just before midday near the disputed islands, which Tokyo calls the Senkaku and Beijing calls the Diaoyu.

The Japanese embassy in Beijing did not immediately reply to a request for comment.