Ned Price: Report on assessment of unilateral release of Iran's assets is not correct

The fourth round of talks to revive the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), will resume in Vienna, Austria, on Friday. A US State Department official said on the eve of the fourth round of talks in Vienna that reaching an agreement for Iran and the US to return to and simultaneously adhere to the JCPOA is possible in the next few weeks, but this depends on Tehran's "political decision."

In response to a question about Iran's nuclear developments since it distanced itself from its commitments in the JCPOA, the senior US State Department official acknowledged that these developments have led to "complications" that must be resolved in some way.

However, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN that while it is unclear whether these Iranian assets will be released unilaterally, it could be a move to show Washington's goodwill to Tehran.

CNN says that as negotiations to revive the nuclear deal in Vienna enter their second month, there are still no clear signs of reaching an agreement.

The American network further added that the Iranian assets would not be made available to Iran in cash, but rather through the Swiss Channel, or the "Swiss Humanitarian Trade Agreement," which was launched last year and allows humanitarian aid such as food and medicine to be sent to Iran without violating US sanctions.

An aide to a Republican representative in the US Congress has said that such a plan would face opposition from anti-Iran representatives in Congress, because they believe that freeing Iranian assets would be a concession to Tehran and would reduce the leverage of US pressure.