The Trump administration in recent days has explored possible economic incentives for Iran in return for the regime halting uranium enrichment, including releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, according to three sources familiar with the discussions.
The tentative proposal would also allow Iran to receive assistance from regional countries to enable Tehran to build a civilian nuclear program, granting Tehran access to as much as $30 billion.
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The proposal is one of many ideas under consideration by the administration, the sources said. The details of the administration’s discussions were first reported by CNN.
The potential deal would mark a major reversal in policy for President Donald Trump, who pulled the U.S. out of the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran in 2018, arguing in part that the sanctions relief and unfreezing of Iranian assets had provided a “lifeline of cash” to the Iranian regime to continue its malign activities.
Still, it is not immediately clear if the financial proposal or any negotiations between the U.S. and Iran will move forward.
In a Truth Social post Friday night, Trump said he “never heard of this ridiculous idea,” adding that it was “just another HOAX put out by the Fake News.”
Earlier Friday, Trump threatened to drop any possible sanctions relief for Iran after the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared victory in the war with Israel and downplayed the significance of U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.
“Why would the so-called ‘Supreme Leader,’ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie?” Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social, adding: “During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery — The sanctions are BITING! But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust.”
In a prerecorded speech on Iranian state TV on Thursday, Khamenei said: “The Islamic Republic was victorious and in retaliation delivered a hand slap to America’s face.”
He added: “This action can be repeated in the future.”
But later on Friday, Trump insisted the Iranians still wanted to meet with him to discuss possible sanctions relief.
“They do want to meet me, and we’ll do that quickly. We’re going to do it quickly,” Trump told reporters during a White House meeting with the foreign ministers of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“Don’t you think we have sanctions on there that they can’t do anything? Wouldn’t you think that they want to meet me? I mean, they’re not stupid people.”
