"Guaranteeing $300 Billion Reconstruction Fund"... Passing the Buck to Allies?

[Anchor]

Controversy is brewing over the $300 billion Iran reconstruction fund included in the ceasefire agreement between the two sides. The issue lies in the fact that while the United States unilaterally initiated the war, the reconstruction costs—which Iran views as war reparations—are being passed on to its allies.

Reporter Park Won-kyung has the story.

[Reporter]

The draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the ceasefire, released by Bloomberg, includes a clause stating that the U.S., along with regional partner nations, will guarantee the mobilization of at least $300 billion for Iran's reconstruction and economic development.

President Trump is emphasizing that not a single cent of U.S. government money will go into this $300 billion.

[Trump/U.S. President: This agreement handles our requirements very well. We are not paying anything for this agreement, and we have nothing to do.]

This is an attempt to fund the project with money from allies rather than the U.S., in response to domestic criticism that the deal was rushed and amounts to "giving away" U.S. resources.

[Vance/U.S. Vice President: We will encourage other countries, not the United States, to invest in Iran. This will only be possible if Iran strictly complies with the terms of the agreement.]

Reuters, citing U.S. government officials, reported that companies in the U.S. and Asia have already agreed to raise over $150 billion, and that South Korean companies were also mentioned.

The U.S., which unilaterally started a war that placed a massive burden on the global economy without prior information sharing with its allies, now intends to pass the war recovery costs onto the Middle East—which suffered from retaliatory attacks—and private companies in allied nations.

[Cho Han-bum/Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification: It is very unfavorable for us if we are forced to invest in projects with low profitability, or if the U.S. takes all the prime opportunities.]

The methods for raising and managing the fund are expected to be decided through negotiations over the next 60 days. Given the considerations for entering the Iranian reconstruction market and ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, it will be difficult for the South Korean government and companies to simply ignore participation in the fund, deepening their dilemma.

(Video Editing: Cho Mu-hwan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.