00:00In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful.
00:02The American president, following aggressive actions and continuous efforts to destabilize the region,
00:09has announced that the damages to the vessels during the imposed war against Islamic Iran,
00:16due to the insecurity caused by the United States military
00:19and the violation of crossing an illegal and unsafe route south of the Strait of Hormuz,
00:25the damages will be paid from Iran's blocked assets.
00:30While warning the criminal president of the United States regarding the consequences of this illegal act
00:35to all companies and countries that welcome Trump's proposal
00:38and use Iran's blocked assets under this pretext,
00:44we hereby declare that from now on,
00:47the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran
00:50will not allow any of their vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
01:10Iran spent months demanding the release of $24 billion in frozen assets as part of any peace deal.
01:17The Trump administration just responded
01:20by drawing up plans to spend that money on the countries Iran attacked.
01:25This is not a negotiating tactic.
01:27This is a statement.
01:29After escalating tensions in the Gulf,
01:31Iranian missiles and drones struck targets in Kuwait,
01:35Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar,
01:39some of America's closest partners in the region.
01:41One drone hit a Kuwait airport, people were injured,
01:45and Gulf governments, many of which host U.S. military bases,
01:49started sending Washington damage bills.
01:52So what does the Trump administration do?
01:54Treasury Secretary Scott Besant gets to work.
01:58According to the New York Post, Reuters, and CBS News,
02:02Besant has directed his team to, quote,
02:11We're talking $24 billion in frozen Iranian funds,
02:16over $1 billion in seized cryptocurrency,
02:19impounded vessels, and other confiscated assets.
02:22The plan covers future damage and may loop in past incidents once cost assessments are complete.
02:29No dollar figure has been announced yet, but the message is crystal clear.
02:33Iran's frozen money isn't a bargaining chip anymore.
02:36It's a checkbook, and America's writing the checks.
02:40Here's why this is such a big deal strategically.
02:43Iran has been at the negotiating table for weeks,
02:46and one of their core demands is getting that $24 billion back fast.
02:51It's been central to every ceasefire and deal discussion.
02:54By announcing this program, the U.S. is essentially saying,
02:58the longer this drags on, the less of that money will exist.
03:02Every missile Iran fires, every drone it launches,
03:06that's potentially another chunk of frozen assets redirected to repair the damage.
03:11Iran is literally funding the reconstruction of the countries it's attacking.
03:16Iranian officials have already warned this could escalate the conflict,
03:20and that's notable because the threat is landing.
03:23Gulf allies, meanwhile, have been quietly cooperating,
03:26freezing Iranian accounts, sharing intelligence,
03:30and requesting financial support from Washington as oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz,
03:35face disruption.
03:36This program formalizes that support.
03:39It's a coalition move, dressed up as a financial one.
03:43This fits directly into the Trump administration's maximum pressure playbook,
03:47squeeze Iran economically while keeping diplomatic back channels open
03:52through figures like Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
03:55But it also raises real questions.
03:58What are the legal mechanisms?
03:59Which assets get targeted first?
04:02And if Iran walks away from negotiations, does this program expand?
04:07Implementation details are still being worked out,
04:09but the direction?
04:10That's already set.
04:12Iran wanted its money back.
04:14Instead, it may end up paying for the damage it caused.
04:19It may end up paying for the damage it caused.
