File image.
Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, told CNN that any peace deal with the United States depends on Washington releasing $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets, warning that renewed fighting would push the U.S. into a “dark corridor.”
“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 in the interview that was aired on June 5.
“This is our own money, not America’s money,” he added.
Rezaei also warned that Tehran will “drag the war” beyond the Persian Gulf if the U.S. 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.
“We will give another dimension to the war by attacking these other American bases that we have been attacking so far,” he said, noting that “the possibility of war is low.”
Talks between Iran and the U.S. on a memorandum of understanding to end the war have been stuck for a while. The last few weeks saw several clashes between the two.
In fact, just earlier on June 5, the Islamic Republic announced that it had fired missiles and drones at American warships in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. forces also bordered a supertanker linked to Tehran in the Indian Ocean.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported on May 27 that there had been progress toward the release of the $12 billion but that details had not been finalized.
On the very same day, U.S. President Donald Trump said at a cabinet meeting: “We have control of money that they claim is theirs. We’ll keep control of that money. When they behave properly, and when they do what’s right, we’ll let them have their money. But right now, we’re not doing that.”
Trump’s remarks at the time indicate that the U.S. was not open to release some of the Iranian frozen assets right away, and just after Rezaei’s interview was aired, Washington actually imposed new Iran-related sanctions, targeting several entities, individuals and liquified natural gas tankers.
Among 12 entities designated are five that are based in the Marshall Islands, four in the United Arab Emirates, and one in China, according to details posted to the U.S. Treasury Department’s website. Six vessels are targeted, including four Panama-flagged tankers.
All in all, with Rezaei’s latest remarks, the issue of the Iranian frozen assets in the U.S. is emerging as another major problem in the ongoing talks, making a deal even less likely.
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the us needs another “laundry fire” to encourage a more pragmatic outlook
správne. toto je cesta ako donútiť darebácky štát usa aby stiahol chvost. svetu mier.
the us doesn’t want to give anything at all, but expects iran to completely surrender. it’s full on retardation.