&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'The ball is in Trump's court': Iran says negotiations hit impasse over $24 billion in frozen assets")
Iran and the United States could move towards a possible agreement if Washington agrees to release $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets, according to Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. He said President Donald Trump must take the first step to break the current deadlock.
Speaking to CNN, Rezaei warned that if the United States resumes strikes, it would “enter into a dark corridor,” adding that “the ball is in Trump's court.”
Rezaei warned that Iran will “drag the war” beyond the Persian Gulf if the US resumes the conflict, potentially expanding military operations from the Strait of Hormuz to the Indian Ocean, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Iran has reportedly linked any interim understanding with Washington to the phased unfreezing of funds, seeking $12 billion immediately after an initial agreement and another $12 billion at a later stage.
US officials, however, remain cautious, arguing that releasing funds now could weaken a key source of leverage over Tehran. Trump has pushed for any new deal to be significantly tougher than the 2015 nuclear agreement, while also rejecting any arrangement that could resemble handing over “pallets of cash,” a reference he has repeatedly used to criticise financial payments made during Barack Obama’s presidency.
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Rezaei defended the demand as a confidence-building step, stating in his CNN interview: “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,” he said. “This is our own money, not America’s money,” he added.
Separately, Iran’s military claimed on Friday that it fired “warning missiles” at two US destroyers in the Gulf of Oman, forcing them to leave the area, according to state media IRNA.
However, US Central Command rejected the claim, stating, “Iranian forces did NOT attack or fire at US Navy warships. Doing so would be a gross violation of the ceasefire.” It added that US forces “continue to operate freely in regional waters” and are enforcing the US counterblockade on Iranian ports.
(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)
