Negotiations between the United States and Iran "are at a deadlock," Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's military advisor to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, told CNN in an interview on Friday.
"Trump must break this deadlock,” said Rezaei. "The ball is in Trump’s court."
A senior Iranian official told CNN that negotiations currently depend on the US releasing $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets, with $12 billion released upon the signing of the potential agreement and the remaining funds released at a later date.
Rezaei framed the demand as a test for US President Donald Trump.
"This is a test that America must pass, and the path will be opened,” Rezaei said. “This is our own money, not America’s money.”
He further warned that the Islamic Republic would expand the war beyond the Persian Gulf if hostilities resume, noting that he considered the possibility of war to be low.
“We will give another dimension to the war by attacking these other American bases that we have been attacking so far,” he said.
Rezaei: Iran prepared for US ground invasion
Regarding a potential US ground invasion of Iran, Rezaei told CNN that the regime is prepared for such a scenario.
"The world will understand Iran’s true capabilities," said Razaei. "Our land power is many times greater than our missiles.”
He framed the recent war as an Iranian victory, describing it as "the first time Iran has emerged victorious in wars."
"In previous wars, Iran has always been defeated,” he added.
Rezaei further told CNN that he was not interested in meeting Trump, accusing the US President of bringing the talks "to a standstill."
He doubted the possibility of reaching a nuclear agreement with the US due to what he called Trump's "ambiguity" strategy and his withdrawal from the 2015 deal during his first term.
He also emphasized that Iran and Oman maintain sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, describing the regime's demand for ships to pay a passage toll as a "maintenance fee."