Iran has responded to the US seizing $1 billion of its cryptocurrency holdings by quoting William Shakespeare, calling the US treasury secretary a 'dwarfish thief'.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei used a metaphor from Macbeth to caption a video of US treasury secretary Scott Bessent, saying 'Now does he feel his title / Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe / Upon a dwarfish thief.'
The US action comes amid ongoing indirect talks between Tehran and Washington, mediated by Pakistan. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent had said the US had seized about $1 billion in Iran's crypto holdings, and would use Iranian assets to help its Gulf allies recover from damage caused by Tehran's regime during the Iran war.
However, Press TV reported that any agreement must include the 'immediate and unconditional return of billions of dollars in Iranian funds unlawfully frozen in foreign banks', calling it the rightful property of the Iranian nation. Donald Trump has said that he will not unfreeze Iranian assets before reaching an agreement with Tehran.
