Iran Agreeing To a Deal With U.S. Contingent On Unfreezing Of Funds, Top Official Says
A top Iranian official said a deal with the U.S. is contingent on the unfreezing of funds. “The negotiations are at a deadlock and President Donald Trump must break this deadlock,” Mohsen Rezaei, adviser to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, told CNN.
He went on to say that if 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.” “This is our own money, not America’s money,” he added.
Elsewhere in the interview, Rezaei threatened to “drag the war” beyond the gulf if the U.S. resumes strikes. “We will give another dimension to the war by attacking these other American bases that we have been attacking so far,” he said, noting however that the “possibility of war is low.”
Rezaei also rejected any chance of a meeting between Trump and Khamenei, saying “right now we are in the first stage of negotiations and Mr. Trump has brought the negotiations to a standstill.”
Trump, on his end, said he would be “honored” to meet with Khamenei it were to finalize a deal. “If we make a deal, it’s possible that I would meet,” Trump told press. “I’d be okay with that.”
He went on to say that he would expect Khamenei to behave like a “professional” in such a scenario despite the war, in which his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the conflict’s initial strikes.
“In some circles, he has a very good reputation, actually,” Trump added.
Negotiations, however, continue to be stalled. The countries traded new strikes this week, with a person being killed in Kuwait after a barrage from Tehran involving drones and missiles.
The U.S. military also said it shot down Iranian drones near the Strait of Hormuz and targeted Iran’s Qeshm Island.
Officials involved in the negotiations to end the war continue giving contrasting statements about the current scenario.
A top Iranian official said on Tuesday that a resumption of the war seems “inevitable” as Washington “demands our total surrender, and the Iranian nation will never surrender.”
“When surrender is not an option, war lies ahead. Therefore, we are prepared and have no issue with war,” said Mohammad Jafar Asadi, deputy head of Iran’s central military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, according to state TV.
The official went on to say that the country has yet to play all of its “trump cards.” “There are many capabilities that, if necessary, we will use.”
Elsewhere, Mehr News agency reported that officials are still reviewing the U.S.’s latest proposal to end the war and have not provided an answer.
