A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader has revealed that negotiations between Tehran and Washington have reached a standstill, with Iran insisting that the United States release $24 billion in frozen assets before any meaningful progress can be made toward a broader peace agreement.
Mohsen Rezaei, a prominent figure within Iran’s security establishment and a close adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, told CNN that the responsibility for breaking the deadlock now rests with U.S. President Donald Trump.
“The negotiations are at a deadlock, and Trump must break this deadlock,” Rezaei said in an interview from Tehran. “The ball is in Trump’s court.”
According to Rezaei, Iran wants access to $12 billion of its frozen funds immediately after an interim agreement is signed, with another $12 billion to be released at a later stage.
Tehran views the move as a test of Washington’s willingness to build trust after months of conflict and difficult negotiations.
“This is our own money, not America’s money,” Rezaei said, arguing that the release of the funds would open a new chapter in relations between the two countries.
The demand, however, presents a major challenge for the Trump administration.
American officials are reportedly reluctant to release such a significant amount of money at this stage, fearing it would weaken U.S. leverage in future negotiations.
Trump has repeatedly criticized previous administrations for providing financial concessions to Iran and has insisted that any new agreement must be stronger than the 2015 nuclear deal.
Beyond the financial dispute, Rezaei issued one of Tehran’s strongest warnings since the conflict began earlier this year.
He said that if fighting resumes, Iran could expand the battlefield far beyond the Persian Gulf, potentially targeting U.S. interests across a wider region stretching from the Strait of Hormuz and the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea.
“We will give another dimension to the war,” he warned, while adding that he still considers the chances of renewed conflict relatively low.
Rezaei also dismissed suggestions that a direct meeting between Trump and Supreme Leader Khamenei could take place in the near future.
“This will not happen,” he said, arguing that negotiations have already stalled because of Washington’s approach to the talks.
His comments came just days after Trump suggested that relations between himself and the Iranian leader were improving and said he would be willing to meet him.
Another key issue remains the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.
Rezaei reiterated Iran’s long-standing claim that Tehran and Oman share responsibility for managing the strait, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies previously moved before the outbreak of war.
He suggested that ships passing through the waterway could be required to pay what he described as maintenance costs, though he stopped short of calling them transit fees.
The interview offers a rare glimpse into thinking within Iran’s ruling establishment at a time when both sides are trying to determine whether diplomacy can succeed where military confrontation has failed.
A veteran of the Iran-Iraq war and former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Rezaei remains one of the most influential voices within the country’s security apparatus.
Despite ongoing negotiations, he expressed skepticism about the long-term durability of any agreement with Washington, citing Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord and what he described as uncertainty surrounding U.S. commitments.
Still, he projected confidence in Iran’s position, arguing that the country emerged stronger from the recent conflict and remains prepared for any future confrontation.
For now, however, the future of the negotiations appears tied to a single question: whether Washington is willing to meet Tehran’s demand for access to billions of dollars in frozen assets.
Until that issue is resolved, hopes for a breakthrough may remain out of reach.
