Any potential agreement between the US and Iran depends on the Trump administration agreeing to Tehran’s demand for the release of $24 billion worth frozen Iranian assets, according to senior Iranian advisor Mohsen Rezaei, who warned that any return to military confrontation could take the conflict far beyond the Persian Gulf.
In an interview with CNN on Friday, Rezaei, a military advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said the next move rests with US President Donald Trump.
“The negotiations are at a deadlock and Trump must break this deadlock,” Rezaei said, adding “The ball is in Trump’s court.”
Iran is reportedly seeking the release of $12bn immediately upon the signing of an interim agreement, with the remainder $12bn to be released later. Calling the release of the Iranian funds part of “trust building” measure, he said this was imperative to reaching an agreement to end the war.
“If he (Trump) wants to reach an agreement with Iran, this $24 billion is a test of trust that Iran wants to have with Trump – this is a test that America must pass and the path will be opened,” he said. “This is our own money, not America’s money,” he added.
The demand comes as indirect negotiations continue over a possible framework agreement covering Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions relief, maritime security and broader regional tensions, though seemingly with little breakthrough.
US officials have expressed concerns that unfreezing the Iranian assets at this stage could reduce Washington’s leverage in the talks.
Rezaei also issued a warning over the consequences of any renewed military action. He said Iran would expand the scope of the war if Washington chose to resume hostilities, and pointed to strategic waterways stretching from the Strait of Hormuz to the Indian Ocean, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
“We will give another dimension to the war,” he said, adding that he believed the likelihood of renewed conflict remained low.
Rezaei declined to comment on Khamenei’s health, and when asked about prospect of a meeting between the US president and the Iranian supreme leader, Rezaei dismissed the possibility of any such meeting occurring currently, and said “This will not happen, right now we are in the first stage of negotiations and Mr. Trump has brought the negotiations to a standstill. This will not happen.”
He further reiterated Tehran’s position on the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that Iran and Oman share responsibility for the waterway and should jointly manage it, rejecting suggestions that Iran was seeking to impose transit tolls, saying any charges would relate to maintenance and operational costs.
A veteran figure within Iran’s security establishment, Rezaei’s word carries substantial weight, as he is close to both Iran’s uppermost political and military circles. Close to both Mojtaba, as well as his late father Ali Khamenei, Rezaei commanded the IRGC during much of the Iran-Iraq War and later served on the Expediency Council and as a vice-president under former president Ebrahim Raisi.
Reflecting on the recent US-Israeli conflict with Iran, the senior Iranian official claimed the country had emerged stronger than ever and remained fully prepared for further confrontation should diplomacy collapse.
“Should talks fail, Iran is prepared,” he said, arguing that the country’s military capabilities extend well beyond its missile arsenal.
He also expressed heavy scepticism on the long-term durability of any agreement with Washington, citing Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal during his first term in office.
