American Official to Afaq News: Trump Links Easing Sanctions on Iran to 'Concrete Progress' on Nuclear Deal

- An American official told Afaaq News on Monday that President Donald Trump is ready to ease sanctions on Iran and release frozen funds in exchange for "meaningful progress" on a nuclear deal, at a time when mediators are trying to bring the two countries back to the negotiating table. The official stated that the United States is having "positive and constructive discussions through intermediaries," while also noting that no agreement will be reached unless nuclear issues are addressed.

Trump had rejected on Saturday the latest Iranian proposal regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as "unacceptable." On Sunday, Trump stated to Axios that he expects to have more talks with Iran this week.

The official explained that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are leading the talks from the American side. The president said: "They want to reach an agreement, but it is not the agreement that I want to reach."

It is the agreement that we might have agreed to a year ago; Iran has overestimated its position." According to the official, Iran has shown flexibility regarding nuclear issues, but the two sides have not yet reached an agreement on the timing of fulfilling commitments.

The American ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, said on the "State of the Union" program broadcast on the Afaaq News network on Sunday that Trump rejected the proposal because he did not believe that Iran was negotiating in good faith, considering it unacceptable for Tehran to ask for "everything upfront." Waltz added on the program: "The bottom line is that they were asking for everything upfront in exchange for a promise that they would hold talks later."

Later, Waltz stated on NBC's "Meet the Press" that Trump's distrust of the Iranian proposal is a matter of "common sense," describing Tehran's recent offer as "a deceptive attempt to put something on the table that they know in advance is unacceptable." The White House official reiterated what Waltz mentioned regarding the United States' skepticism about Iran's promises, citing Tehran's violation of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding reached in July by firing on commercial ships.