Iran's Supreme Leader Advisor: Iran-US Negotiations Deadlocked Over Frozen Assets, Denies Supreme Leader's Meeting with Trump

BlockBeats News, June 6th, according to CNN, a senior Iranian official stated on Friday that the potential peace agreement between the United States and Iran hinges on whether the Trump administration agrees to unfreeze $240 billion of Iranian assets, and cautioned that if the U.S. resumes military action, it would be on a "dark path."

An advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader said in a CNN interview, "The negotiations have reached a stalemate, and Trump must break this impasse; the ball is now in Trump's court." Iran is reported to have demanded the immediate unfreezing of $120 billion in frozen funds once a temporary agreement is signed with the U.S., with an additional $120 billion to be unfrozen in a later stage. American officials, however, are concerned that unfreezing the funds at this stage could weaken a key leverage point against the Iranian regime. The advisor described the unfreezing of funds during the visit as a gesture of building trust, stating that if the Trump administration unfreezes this money, it would "open a new chapter for the future of Iran and the U.S."

He also warned that should the U.S. reinitiate conflict, Iran would expand the "war" beyond the Persian Gulf, with military operations potentially extending from the Strait of Hormuz to the Indian Ocean, the Strait of Mandeb, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean. He said, "We will target other U.S. military bases that have previously been targeted, escalating the war to a new level," but he also added, "The chances of a war breaking out are low." When asked about a possible Trump-Mujtaba meeting, he said, "That will not happen; currently, we are in the first stage of negotiations, and Trump has stalled the talks." This week, Trump stated that he and Mujtaba "seem to get along fine" and that he would be "honored" to meet with him if possible.