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In the complicated, currently—seemingly stalled, negotiations between the US and Iran, the two fabulous sums of money (US$250-300 billion) seem close.
Namely, at the end of May and seemingly out of nowhere, in compiling the list of potential actions that could take place between the US and Iran, after the end of the conflict, a sum of 300 billion US dollars appeared (https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/iran-eastern-states/artc-new-details-negotiations-300-billion-fund-for-iran-and-a-halt-to-fighting-in-lebanon-report).
Washington was very careful to connect that money with the future “international investment fund” under the leadership of the Americans. The Iranian side called the talks about 300 billion dollars a talks about the “reconstruction program” .(https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/world/middleeast/iran-us-agreement-plan.html).
It is not yet known what the priorities of that “international investment fund for Iran” could be. Nor did the Iranians come out with a list of preferred priorities in the case of the mentioned 300 billion dollars.
Although, the direction of possible action of the “Fund”, that is, the “Program” could perhaps already be guessed.
Namely, as early as 2023, Khojasteh Mehr, the head of the National Oil Company of Iran (NIOC), estimated at the Hongqiao International Economic Forum in Shanghai that Iran is considering attracting around 250 billion US dollars of investment in the development of the domestic petro-industry by 2031 (https://ana.ir/en/news/4190/official-iran-ready-for-attracting-250-billion-dollars-investment-in-oil-sector).
As recently as February 19 of this year (nine days before the outbreak of the ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf), Hamid Ghanbari, the deputy director of economic diplomacy at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the US and Iran could jointly invest in oil and gas projects as part of the ongoing nuclear deal under negotiation, signaling Tehran’s willingness to reach an agreement and avoid military conflict. https://caspianpost.com/iran/iran-proposes-joint-oil-investment-with-u-s-ahead-of-nuclear-negotiations).
“For the sake of the durability of the agreement, it is necessary for the US to benefit in areas with high and fast economic returns,” Ganbar assessed. “The country must be ready for all scenarios,” Ganbari added, “and at the same time seriously conduct negotiations.” Among the potential areas of cooperation, in addition to oil and gas, Ganbari mentioned mining, urban development and the purchase of aircraft.
Here, perhaps the direction in which, seemingly unimaginable today, relations between Washington and Tehran could develop in the future.
It was probably not a coincidence that US President Donald Trump said the other day that a peace agreement with Iran could be even better than a military victory. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/us-israel-iran-war/trump-expects-us-iran-deal-to-extend-ceasefire-reopen-strait-of-hormuz-over-the-next-week-report/3953666).
