• العربية
  • فارسی
Brand
  • Iran Insight
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Analysis
  • Special Report
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Iran Insight
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Analysis
  • Special Report
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Theme
  • Language
    • العربية
    • فارسی
  • Iran Insight
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Analysis
  • Special Report
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
All rights reserved for Volant Media UK Limited
volant media logo

Iran says it is ready for war or its end

Jun 20, 2026, 10:15 GMT+1

Iran is prepared for either a continuation of war or its end, Interior Ministry spokesperson Ali Zeinivand said on Saturday.

If war continued, Iran would inflict another "historic defeat" on its enemy, Zeinivand told a news conference.

He said Iran was also ready to attract investment and speed development if conditions allowed, adding that the country had found ways to move forward despite sanctions.

Most Viewed

Tehran's familiar battle lines return over deal with US
1
INSIGHT

Tehran's familiar battle lines return over deal with US

2

Khamenei shifts responsibility for MoU as Iran, US implement Hormuz terms

3
INSIGHT

Tehran divided over what Khamenei MoU message really meant

4

US says Iran deal will end enrichment, destroy uranium stocks, cap missiles

5
PODCAST

Trump says Iran is 'finished', experts say Tehran won big

Banner
Banner
Banner

Spotlight

  • Iran may get a lifeline, but major obstacles remain
    ANALYSIS

    Iran may get a lifeline, but major obstacles remain

  • Can Iran rebuild ties with Arab neighbours without a US deal?
    INSIGHT

    Can Iran rebuild ties with Arab neighbours without a US deal?

  • Tehran divided over what Khamenei MoU message really meant
    INSIGHT

    Tehran divided over what Khamenei MoU message really meant

  • Trump says Iran is 'finished', experts say Tehran won big
    PODCAST

    Trump says Iran is 'finished', experts say Tehran won big

  • A US-Iran deal alone won't rescue Iran's oil economy
    ANALYSIS

    A US-Iran deal alone won't rescue Iran's oil economy

  • A fragile compact: ambiguities that could undermine US-Iran MoU
    ANALYSIS

    A fragile compact: ambiguities that could undermine US-Iran MoU

•
•
•

More Stories

Iran may get a lifeline, but major obstacles remain

Jun 20, 2026, 09:37 GMT+1
•
Dalga Khatinoglu
Iran may get a lifeline, but major obstacles remain
100%
کودکان و خانواده‌ها در اصفهان، پس از بازگشت آب به زاینده‌رود، در کنار این رودخانه حضور یافته‌اند

The agreement between Tehran and Washington holds out the prospect of sanctions relief and potentially unprecedented foreign investment, but many of its economic promises remain uncertain and some may prove difficult to deliver even if negotiations succeed.

The relative strengthening of the Iranian rial suggests the agreement has already had a positive psychological impact.

The US dollar, which traded above 1.8 million rials during the recent conflict, has fallen to around 1.57 million. Even so, it remains roughly 18 percent higher than six months ago.

According to estimates by Kpler, Iran was exporting about 1.5 million barrels per day of crude oil and condensates before the recent conflict. Without sanctions, exports could eventually return to around 2.5 million barrels per day.

Iran would also no longer be forced to sell much of its crude to Chinese buyers at steep discounts.

Revenue boost

According to OPEC estimates, Iran earned $46.7 billion from exports of crude oil and petroleum products last year. If sanctions are lifted and oil prices remain relatively elevated, that figure could rise substantially.

A rapid recovery, however, should not be expected.

Iran's petrochemical and steel industries, which together generate roughly $17 billion in annual export revenue, have suffered extensive damage during the conflict.

As a result, Iran could temporarily become a net importer of some products it has traditionally exported.

Persian Gulf Holding, which accounts for 38 percent of Iran's petrochemical production, recently reported that output at six heavily damaged complexes fell to just 13 percent of levels recorded during the same period last year. Overall production across the holding's petrochemical subsidiaries declined by 75 percent.

According to Iran's Central Bank, oil, gas, steel and petrochemicals account for 73 percent of the country's total exports, underscoring the importance of rebuilding damaged industrial capacity.

Release of frozen assets

Iran is estimated to hold approximately $24 billion in frozen assets abroad, about half of which could be released within two months.

The Wall Street Journal reported on June 19 that, contingent upon what it described as appropriate Iranian behavior and the transfer of enriched uranium, Tehran could gain access to $6 billion in frozen funds currently held in Qatari banks for the purchase of humanitarian and agricultural goods from the United States.

The arrangement could benefit both countries. Iran imports approximately $17 billion worth of grain annually, while the United States remains the world's largest grain exporter.

Trade between the two countries has collapsed since the 1979 revolution. According to official US statistics, bilateral trade totaled $6.6 billion in 1978 but amounted to only $60 million last year, almost entirely consisting of US exports to Iran.

The reconstruction fund

One of the most ambitious — and least defined — elements of the agreement is a proposed $300 billion reconstruction fund involving foreign companies, including firms from Arab states, to support Iran's reconstruction.

Unlike historical reconstruction programs financed by governments, the proposed fund is expected to rely largely on private investment. That raises significant questions about how such a large sum could be mobilized and whether foreign companies would be willing to commit substantial capital to Iran after years of sanctions, regional tensions and political uncertainty.

Beyond political considerations, investors would also have to weigh sanctions risks, regulatory uncertainty and the long-term stability of the investment environment before committing significant capital.

Given Tehran's strained relations with many Arab states in recent years, enthusiasm among regional investors may remain limited, although countries such as Qatar and Oman could encourage some level of participation.

For now, the creation of a fund on the scale envisioned by the agreement appears unlikely in the medium term. More modest investment flows may be possible if Tehran complies with future commitments and continues improving ties with its neighbors.

The need for investment is undeniable. Iran's oil and gas sector alone is estimated to require at least $300 billion in capital to modernize infrastructure and expand production after decades of underinvestment.

Ultimately, the economic benefits outlined in the agreement depend not only on sanctions relief but also on Tehran's ability to reassure investors, rebuild damaged industries and maintain stable relations with regional and international partners.

For now, the agreement has boosted expectations. Whether it can deliver a lasting economic recovery remains an open question.

Lawmaker says Iran remains on war footing even in peace

Jun 20, 2026, 09:30 GMT+1

A member of Iran’s parliament’s presiding board described the memorandum with Washington as a US defeat and said Tehran’s hand remains “on the trigger” even in peacetime.

Farshad Ebrahimpour told the semi-official ISNA news agency on Saturday that Iran had “never tied its security to political agreements.”

He said the memorandum between Tehran and Washington showed what he called the failure of the United States.

Ebrahimpour’s remarks add to a growing line of warnings from Iranian officials and hardline voices who have framed the memorandum not as a step away from confrontation, but as a pause.

US-Iran deal could hand Tehran more than $60bn a year in oil revenue - WSJ

Jun 20, 2026, 09:02 GMT+1

The US-Iran memorandum could restore a major source of revenue for Tehran by allowing it to resume oil and fuel sales, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The report said Iran could earn more than $60 billion a year from oil sales based on its prewar production levels and current prices.

Several oil-laden Iranian tankers have already left port and crossed the US naval blockade line this week, the report said, describing the movement as an early sign of anticipated exports.

Religious singer threatens Pezeshkian with death if Khamenei terms fail

Jun 20, 2026, 08:28 GMT+1

A state-linked religious singer in Shahr-e Rey threatened President Masoud Pezeshkian with death if the conditions set by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei over the US memorandum are not fulfilled.

The threat came a day after Khamenei said he had held a different view on the agreement with Washington but authorized its implementation after Pezeshkian accepted responsibility for it.

“Mr. President, if the Leader’s conditions are not fulfilled, then it will be us, the blade and your throat,” the religious singer said.

In Iran, such performers, known as maddahs, are religious singers and reciters who lead mourning chants in Shiite ceremonies, but some have also become influential political voices aligned with hardline and security-linked networks.

Kamyar Behrang, a member of Iran International’s editorial team, said these figures are “not merely elegy reciters,” but part of the Islamic Republic’s security and repression apparatus, with links to institutions such as the Revolutionary Guards.

Khamenei military adviser warns US could exploit wording in final Iran deal

Jun 20, 2026, 07:55 GMT+1

Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and a former IRGC commander, warned that any final text for a US-Iran agreement must be technically and legally precise, saying Tehran should guard against wording that Washington could later interpret narrowly.

Rezaei said the language on sanctions relief must be carefully drafted and that any provision on lifting the blockade should be stated explicitly.

He pointed to a possible loophole in one of the 14 points of the memorandum, saying Iran had demanded that US forces withdraw from areas around Iran within 30 days of a final agreement.

“But they may say that ‘around you’ means the 12 nautical miles of your coastal waters,” Rezaei said, adding that such an interpretation would be unacceptable to Tehran.