President Donald Trump has declared that he will not release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets until a long-term ceasefire is reached, formally ending the U.S.-Israel conflict with Tehran.
In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press broadcast on July 26, Trump emphasized that asset release would only occur "after" a deal is struck. "If they behave well, do good, we'll start talking," the U.S. president said.
Earlier, Iranian officials repeatedly suggested that any deal could depend on releasing at least some frozen assets, underscoring widespread distrust of U.S. negotiations. Tehran considers this a "test of trust."
The U.S. has twice launched military campaigns against Iran as nuclear talks continue. Analysts say this has made Iranian officials cautious about the ceasefire process.
Despite Trump's claims of a possible breakthrough in recent weeks, there has been little sign of major progress on key issues, including control of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's nuclear program, and frozen assets.
In the interview, Trump continued to threaten Iran. "We're very close to an agreement—or I'll blow them up," he said.
Speaking to CNN on July 26, Mohsen Rezaee, a military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, said "negotiations are at a stalemate" and urged Trump to break the impasse.
According to reports, Iran has over $100 billion frozen in bank accounts worldwide due to sanctions by the U.S. and other countries. Iran was previously allowed gradual access to these assets under the 2015 nuclear deal, but Trump withdrew the U.S. from the agreement in 2018.
Iranian state media reported that the country seeks between $12 billion and $24 billion in frozen assets as part of a ceasefire deal, with half released upon signing and the remainder at a later stage.
In the NBC interview, Trump also expressed willingness to speak with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father Ali Khamenei after the latter was killed shortly after the U.S. and Israel began airstrikes on Iran on February 28. "I don't want to say I know where he is, but it's very possible I know," Trump said of Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since being wounded in early U.S. airstrikes in the conflict.
Trump also said he is "not asking" for Lebanon to be part of the ceasefire deal. Ongoing Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon continually threaten to derail negotiations.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on July 26 that Tehran could respond to Israeli airstrikes on southern Beirut and the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.
