Despite airstrikes, Trump officials quietly courted Iran with $30 billion nuclear deal and sanction relief

Time of India

17 hours ago

Even though US president Donald Trump publicly celebrated the bold strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities last weekend, his administration is quietly pursuing a very different approach by secretly meeting with Iranian officials and proposing various deals to lure them back to the negotiating table for nuclear talks, as per a report.
Trump Administration Holds Secret Nuclear Talks With Iran
According to a CNN report, a team of US officials led by special envoy Steve Witkoff have been engaged in private conversations with Iranian officials amid the heightened tensions and conflict with Israel.
Sources familiar with the talks told CNN that the Trump administration floated proposals that included the possibility of investing $20 to $30 billion in a civilian non-enrichment nuclear program in Iran, as reported by Daily Beast. The team has reportedly even discussed about the potential of lifting some sanctions so Tehran could access $6 billion which are frozen in foreign bank accounts, according to the report.
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A Trump administration official told CNN on the condition of anonymity that, 'The U.S. is willing to lead these talks,' adding, 'And someone is going to need to pay for the nuclear program to be built, but we will not make that commitment,' as quoted by Daily Beast in its report.
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Gulf Allies Could Help Rebuild Fordow Site
While, two other Trump administration officials revealed that the Trump administration even suggested that US-backed allies in the Gulf could pay to replace the recently bombed Fordow nuclear site with a civilian non-enrichment program, as reported by Daily Beast.
CNN's source told the outlet, 'There are a lot of ideas being thrown around by different people, and a lot of them are trying to be creative,' and another source added, 'I think it is entirely uncertain what will happen here,' as quoted by Daily Beast.
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Donald Trump Dismisses Urgency of New Nuclear Deal
However, the US president told reporters during the NATO Summit on Wednesday that he did not believe a new nuclear deal with Iran was necessary, even though he confirmed that the United States would be holding talks with Iran next week, but the date is not yet been decided, according to the Daily Beast report.
Trump mentioned that, 'We may sign an agreement, I don't know,' as quoted in the report. He said, 'They had a war, they fought, now they're going back to their world. I don't care if I have an agreement or not,' as quoted by Daily Beast.
Previously, talks between Washington and Tehran were supposed to be held in Oman but were cancelled after Israel launched an attack on Iranian targets, as per the report.
US Focuses on Promoting a Non-Enrichable Nuclear Future for Iran
While Witkoff told CNBC on Wednesday that the United States continues to seek a 'comprehensive peace agreement,' as quoted by Daily Beast. He highlighted that, 'Now the issue and the conversation with Iran is going to be, how do we rebuild a better civil nuclear program for you that is non-enrichable?' as quoted in the report.
FAQs
Is the US lifting sanctions in Iran?
There's discussion of easing sanctions to allow Iran access to $6 billion in frozen assets.
Is the US negotiating with Iran while bombing its nuclear sites?
According to a CNN report, the Trump administration has reportedly been in secret talks with Iranian officials even after the strikes.