Rezaei, who is also a commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) during the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq’s toppled Baath regime in the 1980s, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with CNN’s Fred Pleitgen in Tehran, published on Friday.
The United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February, assassinating Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. Iran responded by launching missile and drone strikes on Israeli positions as well as American interests and military bases across the region. The war was halted on April 8 when a ceasefire came into force. Negotiations also began between Iran and the US to pave the way for a permanent end to the war.
Rezaei warned the US against resuming the conflict, saying that the Islamic Republic will “drag the war” beyond the Persian Gulf, expanding military 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,” CNN quoted him.
He also described the Iran-US negotiations as being “at a deadlock,” stressing that Trump “must break this deadlock.”
“The ball is in Trump’s court,” he noted, while ruling out the prospect of a meeting between Trump and Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the martyred leader.
“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.” Trump this week had expressed willingness to meet Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
Rezaei also said that the US should release frozen Iranian assets as a trust-building measure for a potential agreement.
“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 said. “This is our own money, not America’s money.”
Asked whether the chances for an agreement were greater than the possibility of renewed war, Rezaei said the outcome depends on the United States, adding that American officials know the cost of negotiations is far lower than the cost of war.
The US would “enter into a dark corridor” if it resumes fighting, he warned.
Rezaei also said that Iran’s power is not limited to missiles and drones, stressing that the country is even prepared for a potential 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.”
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