Military adviser to Iran's supreme leader says talks with US have stalled

Mohsen Rezaei, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader and former commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said on Friday negotiations between Tehran and Washington have reached a deadlock, adding that President Donald Trump must take steps to move the process forward.

"The ball is in Trump's court," Rezaei told CNN, adding that the release of frozen Iranian assets would serve as a confidence-building measure and a test of Washington's willingness to advance negotiations.

Rezaei also warned that if what he described as a US blockade on Iran remains in place and the conflict continues, Tehran could target US military bases and expand the scope of the confrontation. Rezaei said the conflict could spread to maritime routes including the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.