A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said Tehran wants $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets released as a trust test before negotiations with the Trump administration can move forward.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Iran is demanding the release of $24 billion in frozen assets before nuclear talks with the Trump administration can advance, according to a senior adviser to the country’s supreme leader.
Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said in an exclusive CNN interview Friday that negotiations between Washington and Tehran have stalled and that President Donald Trump must decide whether to resolve the impasse.
“The negotiations are at a deadlock and Trump must break this deadlock,” Rezaei told CNN. “The ball is in Trump’s court.”
Rezaei said Iran wants $12 billion in frozen assets released immediately after an interim agreement is signed with the United States, followed by another $12 billion later. He described the demand as a measure of whether Tehran can trust Trump in any renewed diplomatic process.
“If he wants to reach an agreement with Iran, this $24 billion is a test of trust that Iran wants to have with Trump,” Rezaei said. “This is our own money, not America’s money.”
The demand could create a major hurdle for the Trump administration, which has said any agreement with Iran must be stronger than the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated during the Obama administration.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the earlier deal and its sanctions relief provisions, often referring to what he has described as “pallets of cash” sent to Tehran. U.S. officials have also warned that releasing frozen Iranian assets before a final agreement could reduce American leverage over the regime.
Rezaei also warned that renewed military conflict could expand beyond the Persian Gulf if hostilities resume. He said Iran could broaden its attacks against U.S. interests in the region.
“We will give another dimension to the war,” Rezaei said.
He suggested that any future conflict could extend to areas including the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean. Despite that warning, Rezaei said he believes the likelihood of renewed war remains low.
The Iranian official also rejected the possibility of a direct meeting between Trump and Khamenei, even after Trump recently said the two appeared to be “getting along well” and that he would be “honored” to meet Iran’s leader.
“This will not happen,” Rezaei said.
The comments underscore the difficulty facing any renewed U.S.-Iran negotiations. Tehran is seeking major financial concessions before talks proceed, while the Trump administration has emphasized pressure, leverage and stricter terms than those included in the Obama-era nuclear agreement.
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