Trump Denies Offering Sanctions Relief to Iran for Nuclear Concessions

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday denied reports that he had offered to ease sanctions and unfreeze Iranian assets in exchange for nuclear concessions from Tehran. Trump stated on his Truth Social platform, "This is not true. I offered them nothing." This statement came in response to an Axios report, which cited unnamed U.S. officials claiming the president was prepared to relax sanctions and release frozen funds for "tangible" steps by Iran regarding its nuclear program.

CNN also reported, citing an anonymous U.S. official, that Trump was open to easing sanctions and unfreezing Iranian money as part of a final deal, provided Tehran demonstrated "tangible progress" on the nuclear issue. The Axios report did not identify the officials it quoted.

Trump has presented shifting goals and timelines for the conflict with Iran, which began on February 28th with attacks by the United States and Israel. Tehran retaliated with strikes against Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. bases. U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, along with Israeli attacks in Lebanon, have reportedly resulted in thousands of deaths and millions displaced.

Officials from both the U.S. and Iran indicated that representatives from both nations held separate talks with mediators on Monday as part of renewed efforts to end the seven-month-old war. Trump also mentioned that weakening Iran's nuclear capabilities is one of his objectives in the conflict. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, while the U.S. possesses them.