A potential peace deal between the United States and Iran hinges on the Trump administration agreeing to release $24 billion in frozen Iranian ******* ets, a top Iranian official told CNN on Friday, warning that the US would "enter into a dark corridor" should it resume fighting.
"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."
Iran has reportedly demanded the release of $12 billion in frozen funds as soon as an interim agreement is signed with the US, and another $12 billion at a later stage.
US officials are concerned that any unfreezing of funds at this stage could remove a key leverage point over the regime. Trump has demanded that any agreement appear far stronger than the nuclear deal struck in 2015, and to avoid anything that could be construed as handing over "pallets of cash," a phrase he has invoked to criticize then-President Barack Obama's decision to give Tehran financial compensation.
In a rare interview with CNN, Rezaei shed light on the thinking inside Iran's strategic decision-making circles about the country's postwar vision, the fate of the Strait of Hormuz and how Iran may act if it is attacked again. His remarks carry weight because he remains closely connected to Iran's security establishment and is widely seen as being close to the current supreme leader, who has not been seen in public since he suffered injuries from an Israeli attack that killed his father on the first day of the war.
"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."
Iran has reportedly demanded the release of $12 billion in frozen funds as soon as an interim agreement is signed with the US, and another $12 billion at a later stage.
US officials are concerned that any unfreezing of funds at this stage could remove a key leverage point over the regime. Trump has demanded that any agreement appear far stronger than the nuclear deal struck in 2015, and to avoid anything that could be construed as handing over "pallets of cash," a phrase he has invoked to criticize then-President Barack Obama's decision to give Tehran financial compensation.
In a rare interview with CNN, Rezaei shed light on the thinking inside Iran's strategic decision-making circles about the country's postwar vision, the fate of the Strait of Hormuz and how Iran may act if it is attacked again. His remarks carry weight because he remains closely connected to Iran's security establishment and is widely seen as being close to the current supreme leader, who has not been seen in public since he suffered injuries from an Israeli attack that killed his father on the first day of the war.
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