Tehran on Friday conditioned a prospective diplomatic accord with Washington on the unfreezing of $24 billion in blocked Iranian assets, according to a high-ranking official who warned that the White House would “enter into a dark corridor" if military hostilities resume.
Mohsen Rezaei, a top military advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, told CNN in an interview on Friday that the diplomatic track has stalled.
Rezaei asserted that “the negotiations are at a deadlock and (US President Donald) Trump must break this deadlock," adding that “the ball is in Trump’s court."
The Islamic Republic is reportedly seeking a two-phase payout, demanding $12 billion immediately upon the ratification of an interim truce, followed by the remaining $12 billion at a later date.
Conversely, policymakers in Washington are hesitant to release the capital, fearing that relinquishing the funds would strip the US of critical leverage. Trump has insisted that any new framework must be vastly more stringent than the 2015 nuclear pact signed by the Obama administration.
In the CNN interview, Rezaei characterized the asset demand as a baseline barometer for future diplomacy. He argued that unlocking the funds would establish “a new horizon for the future" of bilateral relations.
According to the adviser, “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," noting that “this is our own money, not America’s money."
Should Washington reignite the conflict, Rezaei threatened to “drag the war" well beyond the Persian Gulf, extending retaliatory strikes from the Strait of Hormuz into the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Indian Ocean.
He vowed, “We will give another dimension to the war by attacking these other American bases that we have been attacking so far," though he simultaneously assessed that “the possibility of war is low."
Regarding recent statements by Trump - who claimed he and Khamenei “seem to be getting along well" and that he would be “honored" to meet the Iranian leader - Rezaei dismissed the possibility of a face-to-face summit. Avoiding queries regarding the Ayatollah's physical health, Rezaei stated, “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."
Rezaei expressed deep skepticism regarding the longevity of any treaty signed by Trump, citing his 2018 abandonment of the 2015 nuclear deal and his current use of "ambiguity" as a negotiating tactic. If diplomacy collapses and a ground invasion occurs, Rezaei warned that “then the world will understand Iran’s true capabilities, because our land power is many times greater than our missiles."
The US and Iran have been holding indirect talks in an attempt to reach a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions and end regional hostilities, but so far no such deal has been reached.
Trump on Wednesday commented on the talks with Iran and speculated that a deal could be reached within days.
“I hear the negotiations with Iran are going very well. If a deal happens with Iran it could be done over the weekend," Trump told reporters, adding that Iran is “close" to signing the papers.
Trump stated he wants Iran’s enriched uranium transferred into US hands and expects that to happen in the near future.
Trump’s red line for a deal has long been that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, a red line which he reiterated in a conversation with reporters on Thursday.
In the remarks, Trump said that former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama “inspired" Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
“The Obama deal, I terminated that or they would have had a nuclear…that was a road to a nuclear weapon. Our deal - if we make that deal and it's going well but who knows - if we make that deal it's the exact opposite. They will never have a nuclear weapon. I'm not going to let them have a nuclear weapon," he stated.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)