US President Donald Trump firmly rejected reports on Monday suggesting that his administration had proposed easing sanctions and granting Iran access to frozen assets in return for tangible steps on its nuclear program. This denial followed conflicting accounts from two US media outlets regarding the nature of the offer.
Axios, citing unnamed US officials, claimed that Washington was willing to relax sanctions and release Iranian funds as part of a possible agreement with Tehran. In response, Trump stated on Truth Social that the claim was false, emphasizing, “I offered them NOTHING.” Meanwhile, CNN presented a more conditional scenario, quoting an anonymous US official who said Trump was open to sanctions relief and fund release only if Iran demonstrated clear progress on nuclear issues. It remains unclear if Trump’s denial was intended to refute this version as well.
These developments come amid ongoing diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration to resolve the conflict with Iran, which has been ongoing for seven months. The conflict escalated after US and Israeli strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks by Tehran on Israel and Gulf states hosting US military bases. The situation has further intensified with Israeli military actions in Lebanon.
On Monday, US and Iranian representatives held separate meetings with mediators as part of renewed attempts to end the hostilities. Trump has identified the weakening of Iran’s nuclear capabilities as a key war objective. Iran, however, maintains that it does not seek nuclear weapons and asserts its right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
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