KABUL (Pajhwok): A military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader has said that any potential agreement between Tehran and Washington hinges on the release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets by the Trump administration, warning that a return to conflict would push the United States into a “dark corridor.”
“The negotiations are at a deadlock and (US President Donald) Trump must break this deadlock,” Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, told CNN in an exclusive interview in Tehran. “The ball is in Trump’s court.”
According to Rezaee, Iran wants $12 billion of the frozen assets to be released immediately after the signing of an agreement, with the remaining $12 billion to be unlocked in later stages.
He described the release of the funds as essential for building trust between Tehran and Washington.
“If he (Trump) wants to reach an agreement with Iran, these $24 billion are a test of the trust Iran seeks to have in Trump. It is a test that the United States must pass in order to pave the way forward,” Rezaee said.
He stressed that the assets belong to Iran, adding, “This is our money, not America’s.”
Rezaee also dismissed the possibility of a meeting between Mojtaba Khamenei and Trump, saying that talks between the two countries are currently suspended.
His remarks came after Trump said last week that he might meet with Mojtaba Khamenei.
hz/sa
