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. (Read More)
