U.S. Intelligence Warns Iran May Not Follow Nuclear Deal Commitments

CIA Director John Ratcliffe told President Donald Trump that U.S. intelligence doubts Iran’s intentions in the nuclear agreement talks. Ratcliffe is not alone inside Trump’s senior team, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have also raised concerns in private discussions, while Vice President J.D. Vance and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have backed the deal.

Axios reported that Trump held a series of high-level meetings with advisers over the past week ahead of the expected announcement on Sunday. In those meetings, Trump and his team reviewed intelligence gathered by several U.S. agencies showing that what senior Iranian officials were saying among themselves about the deal did not match what they told mediators and the United States, according to two sources cited by Axios.

Ratcliffe and Rubio said they doubted Iran would agree to carry out the nuclear steps Washington is demanding. The CIA and the State Department declined to comment. Officials who oppose the agreement say Iran is unlikely to accept the terms the United States wants and could otherwise gain more from Washington through a memorandum of understanding.

Still, two senior U.S. officials told reporters on Monday that any benefits for Iran depend on it taking significant steps first. One senior American official told Axios that Washington should know within two to three weeks whether Iran is serious about nuclear concessions, and if not, the process could stop without Iran receiving much in return.