Tehran, Iran
A possible peace deal between the United States and Iran hinges on the Trump administration agreeing to launch $24 billion in frozen Iranian property, a prime Iranian official instructed NCS on Friday, warning that the US would “enter into a dark corridor” ought to it resume preventing.
“The negotiations are at a deadlock and (US President Donald) Trump must break this deadlock,” Mohsen Rezaei, navy adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, instructed NCS in an unique interview in Tehran. “The ball is in Trump’s court.”
Iran has reportedly demanded the discharge of $12 billion in frozen funds as quickly as as soon as an interim settlement is signed with the US, and one other $12 billion at a later stage.
US officials are concerned that any unfreezing of funds at this stage may take away a key leverage level over the regime. Trump has demanded that any settlement seem far stronger than the nuclear deal struck in 2015, and to keep away from something that may very well be construed as handing over “pallets of cash,” a phrase he has invoked to criticize then-President Barack Obama’s choice to present Tehran monetary compensation.
In a uncommon interview with NCS, Rezaei make clear the pondering inside Iran’s strategic decision-making circles in regards to the nation’s postwar imaginative and prescient, the destiny of the Strait of Hormuz and how Iran might act whether it is attacked once more. His remarks carry weight as a result of he stays carefully linked to Iran’s safety institution and is extensively seen as being near the present supreme chief, who has not been seen in public since he suffered accidents from an Israeli assault that killed his father on the primary day of the war.
Here’s what Rezaei mentioned:
-
Releasing frozen Iranian property: He framed the demand as a trust-building measure, saying the Trump administration’s potential launch of the funds could be “a new horizon for the future” of Iran and America: “If he (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,” he mentioned. “This is our own money, not America’s money.”
-
Warning in opposition to return to war: Rezaei warned that Iran will “drag the war” past the Persian Gulf if the US resumes the battle, probably increasing navy operations from the Strait of Hormuz to the Indian Ocean, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. “We will give another dimension to the war by attacking these other American bases that we have been attacking so far,” he mentioned, including that “the possibility of war is low.”
-
On a possible assembly between Trump and Khamenei: He didn’t reply a query about Khamenei’s well being and function within the nation’s decision-making, however rejected prospects of him assembly Trump. “This will not happen, right now we are in the first stage of negotiations and Mr. Trump has brought the negotiations to a standstill. This will not happen.” This week, Trump mentioned he and Khamenei “seem to be getting along well” and that he would on be “honored” to fulfill him.
-
Reiterates declare of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz: Rezaei mentioned Iran and Oman have sovereignty of the important thing waterway by which one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied pure fuel handed earlier than the war, and will subsequently handle it collectively. He avoided framing the demand for ship passage charges on the Strait as a toll, saying Iran would cost a upkeep price because it shouldn’t must shoulder the fee of the strait’s administration.
Part of the IRGC’s outdated guard, Rezaei fought within the Iran-Iraq War and went on to steer the drive from 1981 to 1997, serving to form it into one of the Islamic Republic’s strongest establishments. A hardline pragmatist deeply rooted in Iran’s safety institution, he later joined the Expediency Council, which advises the supreme chief, and served as a vice chairman beneath former President Ebrahim Raisi. Rezaei additionally ran for president 4 instances however by no means received.
During the 40-day US-Israeli war on Iran that started in late February, the Islamic Republic retaliated by focusing on 12 nations throughout the area, placing navy services, power infrastructure and civilian websites. Tehran was additionally reported to have fired missiles towards Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK navy base within the Indian Ocean about 2,000 miles from Iran, in an obvious demonstration of its attain.
In his interview with NCS, he solid doubt on the sturdiness of a nuclear settlement with Trump, citing his withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and what he mentioned was his technique of “ambiguity” in talks.
Should talks fail, Rezaei mentioned Iran is ready for a possible US invasion of its territory, “then the world will understand Iran’s true capabilities, because our land power is many times greater than our missiles.”
He framed the present war as Iran’s first triumph in opposition to its enemies within the Islamic Republic’s 47-year historical past.
“This is the first time Iran has emerged victorious in wars, while in previous wars Iran has always been defeated,” he mentioned.
EDITOR’S NOTE: NCS operates in Iran solely with the permission of the federal government however maintains full editorial management of its studies.