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Iranian Advisor: Release of Frozen Funds Key to Deal with U.S.
🇩🇰 Denmark /Conflict & Security

Iranian Advisor: Release of Frozen Funds Key to Deal with U.S.

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • An Iranian military advisor stated that releasing frozen Iranian assets is key to a potential US-Iran peace deal.
  • Mohsen Rezaei called the release of $24 billion in assets a "trust test" for President Trump.
  • Rezaei warned of expanding the conflict to US bases if war resumes, but assessed the probability of war as low.

A potential peace agreement between the United States and Iran hinges on the U.S. government's willingness to release frozen Iranian assets, according to Mohsen Rezaei, a military advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. In an interview with CNN, Rezaei described the release of $24 billion in Iranian funds as a crucial "trust test" for President Donald Trump, indicating that Iran's confidence in the U.S. depends on this action.

If he wants to reach an agreement with Iran, these 24 billion dollars are a trust test that Iran wants to have with Trump. It is a test that the United States must pass, and then the way will be opened.

— Mohsen RezaeiExplaining the significance of releasing frozen Iranian assets for a potential peace deal with the U.S.

"If he wants to reach an agreement with Iran, these 24 billion dollars are a trust test that Iran wants to have with Trump. It is a test that the United States must pass, and then the way will be opened," Rezaei told CNN. He emphasized that these are Iran's own funds, not American money. Rezaei noted that negotiations have stalled, and the onus is on the U.S. president to break the deadlock.

Rezaei, who previously commanded Iran's Revolutionary Guard from 1981 to 1997, suggested that releasing the frozen assets would open a "new horizon for the future." However, he also issued a stark warning: should the U.S. choose to resume hostilities, Iran would escalate the conflict by targeting American bases in the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea. "We will give the war a new dimension by attacking other American bases, beyond those we have already attacked," he stated, while also assessing the probability of war as low.

It is our own money - not USA's money.

— Mohsen RezaeiAsserting Iran's claim over the frozen assets.

Recent weeks have seen a flare-up in tensions between the two nations, including clashes near the Strait of Hormuz. On Saturday, the U.S. military's Central Command reported shooting down four Iranian drones that threatened shipping traffic in the strait. In response, Iranian coastal surveillance radars in Goruk and on Qeshm Island were targeted to prevent further Iranian attacks, according to Centcom.

We will give the war a new dimension by attacking other American bases, beyond those we have already attacked.

— Mohsen RezaeiWarning of potential escalation if the U.S. resumes war against Iran.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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