트럼프 "이란 협상 잘 진행되고 있어"...이란 "공은 트럼프에" / YTN

[Anchor] A close aide to Iran's Supreme Leader has demanded the release of 37 trillion won in frozen funds as a condition for a peace agreement with the United States. U.S. President Trump stated that negotiations are progressing well, but he is simultaneously applying economic and military pressure. We connect to Washington. Correspondent Shin Yoon-jung! What is the background behind the fact that a close aide to Iran's Supreme Leader has unusually given an interview to the U.S. media? [Reporter] Mohsen Rezai, a military advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, appeared in an interview with CNN. He publicly demanded the release of 24 billion dollars—approximately 37 trillion won in Korean currency—from Iran's frozen funds as a condition for concluding a peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran. This is interpreted as an attempt to pressure for concessions by publicly clarifying Iran's demands through U.S. media outlets that are critical of President Trump. Advisor Rezai also emphasized, "Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran have hit a deadlock, and Trump must break it," adding, "The ball is in Trump's court." Let's listen to his remarks briefly. [Mohsen Rezai / Military Advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader: I believe the negotiations are at a stalemate. Trump must break it. Trump must make decisions independently of Israel.] The U.S. is concerned that releasing frozen funds without achieving sufficient results regarding Iran's nuclear disarmament could weaken its negotiating power. For Trump, who has criticized the Obama administration for handing over bundles of cash to Iran in exchange for the nuclear deal, releasing large-scale frozen funds is a burdensome situation. While Advisor Rezai warned that Iran could expand the scope of its military operations if the U.S. resumes attacks, he cautioned against escalation, stating, "The possibility of war is small." Advisor Rezai dismissed the possibility of a meeting between President Trump and Khamenei, stating, "That will not happen," and clarified that sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran and Oman, and that the two countries will jointly manage the strait. [Anchor] President Trump has repeatedly stated that negotiations with Iran are progressing well, correct? [Reporter] Yes, President Trump met with reporters while on his way to attend a U.S. agriculture conference and said, "It appears that matters related to Iran are progressing well." He did not provide specific answers, but let's listen to what he said directly. [Donald Trump / U.S. President: It appears that the situation regarding Iran is also progressing quite well.] Along with behind-the-scenes negotiations, pressure is also continuing. The U.S. Treasury Department announced that it has sanctioned the so-called "shadow network" that sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by falsely claiming it was from Oman. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant stated, "We will continue to cut off Iran's shadow fleet and others through Operation 'Economic Fury'." The U.S. military intercepted a large oil tanker in the Indian Ocean that is subject to U.S. sanctions on suspicion of trading in Iranian crude oil. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command announced that it had intercepted the sanctioned stateless vessel "MT Davina" at sea, emphasizing that "we will intercept any vessel providing material support to Iran anywhere." According to Reuters, the vessel is a supertanker capable of transporting up to 2 million barrels of crude oil and was reported to be nearly full of oil. Meanwhile, the U.S. online media outlet Axios reported that key members of the U.S. negotiating team with Iran visited the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, where top-level nuclear experts are gathered. This appears to be a move to prepare for nuclear negotiations with Iran following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), leading to speculation that the signing of the MOU may be imminent. This has been Shin Yoon-jung from YTN in Washington... (Excerpt) YTN Shin Yoon-jung ([email protected]) ▶ Original Article : https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0104_202606... ▶ Send a tip: https://mj.ytn.co.kr/mj/mj_write.php ▣ Subscribe to YTN YouTube Channel: http://goo.gl/Ytb5SZ ⓒ YTN Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use of AI data are prohibited.