In recent days, members of the Trump administration have privately explored offering Iran significant economic incentives—including the release of billions in frozen assets—in exchange for halting uranium enrichment, according to three sources familiar with the internal discussions.
The tentative proposal would reportedly grant Iran access to up to $30 billion, along with assistance from regional allies to help Tehran build a peaceful civilian nuclear program.
Though still in early stages and far from finalized, the discussions mark a striking potential reversal for President Trump, who in 2018 withdrew the U.S. from the Obama-era nuclear agreement with Iran, harshly criticizing it for giving the Iranian regime a “lifeline of cash” to fund destabilizing activities.
The proposal was first reported by CNN, and sources say it’s one of several options being debated within the administration as tensions with Iran remain high.
However, any movement toward such a deal now seems uncertain. On Friday night, Trump took to Truth Social to publicly deny the idea, calling the report “just another HOAX put out by the Fake News.”
“I never heard of this ridiculous idea,” Trump wrote. “Total fiction.”
His denial came hours after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, proclaimed victory over Israel and mocked recent U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. In response, Trump threatened to pull back any consideration of easing sanctions.
“Why would the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ say something so false?” Trump posted. “I was working on possibly removing sanctions to help Iran recover quickly. The sanctions are BITING. But instead, I get a message full of anger and lies.”
In a prerecorded address on Iranian state television Thursday, Khamenei declared that Iran had “delivered a slap to America’s face” and hinted that such retaliation could continue.
Despite his harsh words, Trump later suggested a diplomatic path was still open. During a White House meeting Friday with the foreign ministers of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, he told reporters, “They do want to meet me, and we’ll do that quickly.”
“Don’t you think the sanctions are tough enough that they’ll want to talk?” Trump asked. “They’re not stupid people.”
Whether Iran is actually open to talks—or if Trump’s own administration is unified behind such a major shift in policy—remains to be seen. But the conflicting signals highlight ongoing uncertainty in the U.S. approach toward Iran, and how rapidly it can change depending on political pressures and Trump’s own public mood.
