A $24 billion “trust test” for Trump? Khamenei aide seeks asset freeze, warns war could enter ‘another level’

As conflicts in the Middle East escalate, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s military adviser Mohsen Rezaei said a potential peace deal between the United States and Iran depends on the Trump administration agreeing to release $24 billion worth of Iranian frozen assets.“The negotiations are at an impasse and (U.S. President Donald) Trump must break this impasse. The ball is in Trump’s court,” Rezai told CNN.His comments come as Iran, Israel and the United States have endured months of military confrontation and efforts are underway to resume talks between Washington and Tehran. While both sides have expressed an interest in avoiding a wider regional conflict, significant differences remain over the terms of any deal.According to Rezai, Iran proposed to release $12 billion in frozen assets immediately after signing the interim deal, and to release an additional $12 billion at a later stage. He described the proposal as a test of trust between the two countries.

“A test of trust”

Rezaei believes that releasing the funds will mark a new phase in relations between Washington and Tehran.“If he (Trump) wants to make a deal with Iran, this $24 billion is a test of trust that Iran wants to have with Trump – it’s a test that the United States has to pass and the way will be opened. It’s our own money, not American money,” he said. However, the request is likely to face resistance in Washington. U.S. officials have expressed concern that releasing the frozen funds at this stage could undermine one of the key pressure points facing the U.S. in the negotiations.Trump has repeatedly criticized the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated by former President Barack Obama and has sought a framework seen as more restrictive than the previous deal.

Warning not to conflict again

In an interview, Rezai warned against resuming military confrontation and said Iran would expand its response if it was attacked again.“We will bring another dimension to the war by attacking other U.S. bases that we have been attacking so far,” he said.He said any future conflict could spread beyond the Persian Gulf and could affect strategic waterways including the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean and parts of the Indian Ocean.

Despite the warning, Rezai added that he believed the likelihood of a new war remained low.Rezaei also dismissed suggestions that Trump and Khamenei might meet in the near future.“That’s not going to happen, and now we’re in the first phase of negotiations and Mr. Trump has stalled the negotiations. That’s not going to happen,” he said.Days earlier, Trump said he would be “honored” to meet the Iranian leader and claimed the two sides appeared to be “getting along very well.”

Strait of Hormuz and regional impact

The senior Iranian official also reiterated Tehran’s long-standing stance on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.He said Iran and Oman have joint sovereignty over the waterway and should jointly manage it. Rezai also suggested that Iran should not be expected to bear the financial burden of maintaining the route alone and proposed charging what he called an administrative maintenance fee.The Strait of Hormuz remains a vital strategic passage through which a large portion of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments pass.Rezai is considered one of the most influential figures in Iran’s security apparatus. He is an old guard of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, participated in the Iran-Iraq war, and served as commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from 1981 to 1997.He later joined the Expediency Council that advises the supreme leader, served as Vice President under former President Ebrahim Raisi, and ran several unsuccessful presidential elections.Discussing the diplomatic outlook, Rezai expressed doubts about the durability of any future deal with the United States.He cited Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and accused Washington of pursuing a vague strategy in negotiations.Rezai said that Iran is ready for possible military confrontation if negotiations cannot be reached.“If the United States invades Iran, then the world will know Iran’s true capabilities because our ground forces are many times more powerful than our missiles,” he said.Rezaei also claimed that the latest conflict marked a historic turning point for Iran.“This is the first time that Iran has won a war, and in previous wars, Iran has always been defeated,” he said.