(NEWSMAX) A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said that negotiations with the Trump administration have reached a deadlock, with Tehran demanding the release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets as a condition for moving forward.
In an exclusive interview with CNN on Friday, Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said President Donald Trump must decide whether to break the impasse.
“The negotiations are at a deadlock and Trump must break this deadlock,” Rezaei told CNN. “The ball is in Trump’s court.”
According to Rezaei, Iran is seeking the release of $12 billion in frozen assets immediately after signing an interim agreement with the United States, with an additional $12 billion to be released later.
Rezaei characterized the demand as a test of trust between Washington and Tehran.
“If he wants to reach an agreement with Iran, this $24 billion is a test of trust that Iran wants to have with Trump,” he said. “This is our own money, not America’s money.”
The reported demand could prove a major obstacle for the Trump administration, which has insisted that any agreement with Iran be stronger than the Obama-era 2015 nuclear deal.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the previous administration’s handling of Iranian sanctions relief and has frequently cited what he describes as “pallets of cash” sent to Tehran.
U.S. officials have also expressed concerns that releasing frozen assets before a final agreement is reached would weaken American leverage over the Iranian regime.
Rezaei also warned against a return to military conflict, claiming Iran could broaden attacks against U.S. interests across the region if hostilities resume.
“We will give another dimension to the war,” he said, suggesting any future conflict could expand beyond the Persian Gulf to include areas such as the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean.
At the same time, Rezaei said the likelihood of renewed war remains low.
The Iranian official also dismissed the possibility of a meeting between Trump and Khamenei, despite Trump’s recent comments that the two leaders appeared to be “getting along well” and that he would be “honored” to meet the Iranian leader.
“This will not happen,” Rezaei said.
