Mohsen Rezaei Says Trump Must Break U.S.-Iran Deadlock Over $24 Billion Assets

Mohsen Rezaei, an Iranian military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, told CNN that U.S.-Iran negotiations are “at a deadlock” and that “Trump must break this deadlock.”

Rezaei said the talks hinge on Washington releasing $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets, with $12 billion becoming available after an interim agreement and the remaining $12 billion released later.

Al-Bawaba Al-Ahram

He framed the phased release as a test of trust, saying, “This is our own money, not America’s money.”

Rezaei warned that if hostilities resume, Iran would expand conflict beyond the Persian Gulf, saying it would “give another dimension to the war by attacking these other American bases that we have been attacking so far.”

Rezaei told CNN that he was not interested in meeting Trump, accusing the U.S. president of bringing the talks “to a standstill.”

He also said Iran and Oman share responsibility for the management of the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that vessels using the route could be required to contribute to its maintenance.

Al-Masry Al-Youm

In the same CNN interview, Rezaei said Iran is prepared for a possible U.S. ground invasion, telling CNN, “Our land power is many times greater than our missiles.”

The dispute over maritime security and the frozen assets remained central as the U.S. position tied any release to Iran taking practical steps to dismantle its nuclear program, while Rezaei continued to warn of wider conflict if hostilities resume.

The deadlock over frozen assets and nuclear sequencing unfolded alongside claims of continued tensions, with Iran’s military saying it fired “warning missiles” at two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Oman.

U.S. Central Command rejected the allegation, saying in a post on X that “Iranian forces did not attack or fire on U.S. Navy warships,” and added that such an action “would constitute a blatant violation of the cease-fire.”

Rezaei’s warnings also extended to strategic waterways, as he said renewed conflict could expand into the Indian Ocean, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.

With diplomacy still unresolved, the sources describe a fragile ceasefire environment and a continuing standoff over what comes next, as the frozen-asset dispute remained “one of the biggest obstacles to a broader agreement.”