The United States and Iran are closer to a nuclear deal than at any time in recent years, though senior officials insist a final agreement is still days away and key details are still unresolved, U.S. officials revealed during a call with reporters.
US administration officials described the talks with Tehran as about “90-95 per cent” complete, calling the new deal fundamentally different from the 2015 nuclear deal struck under the Obama presidency, which President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term.
“It hasn’t even been fully negotiated yet. So don’t listen to the losers who criticise something they know nothing about. Unlike those before me who should have solved this problem years ago, I don’t make bad deals,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
Administration officials repeatedly emphasised that no agreement would be signed immediately, despite significant progress in negotiations over the weekend.
“We’re not there yet. We’re not going to sign an agreement today or tomorrow,” one senior official said on 24 May.
The biggest breakthrough appears to be related to Iran’s highly enriched uranium reserves, long considered a central obstacle in the talks. According to one senior Trump administration official, Tehran has so far agreed “in principle” to get rid of its uranium stockpile, although negotiators are still discussing implementation and verification mechanisms.
“The question is how,” the official said, refuting claims that Iran has refused to give up the raw material.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran currently possesses more than 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity, a level that far exceeds civilian energy needs and is only a small technical step away from weapons-grade enrichment.
Iranian sources suggested that possible solutions could include breeding uranium under international supervision by the UN nuclear watchdog.
A second senior administration official said negotiators are discussing a framework agreement that would provide a 60-day window to finalise a comprehensive deal.
Trump officials argued that the new framework agreement was designed with strict conditions and enforcement, which they said was in direct contrast to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Officials repeatedly used the phrase “no dust-no dollars” to describe the structure of the proposed deal.
Under the framework agreement, Iran would receive a phased easing of sanctions only after fulfilling specific commitments, among them the elimination of enriched uranium stockpiles and the opening of maritime shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“There will be no easing unless the Iranians first fulfil their part of the agreement,” one official said.
The officials also stressed that no direct U.S. cash payments to Iran would be sent, an apparent reference to longstanding Republican criticism of the Obama administration.
“If they don’t honour their commitments, they get nothing. We have put mechanisms in place to ensure compliance,” the official added.
The administration says Iran has also agreed “in principle” to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz remains open without harassment or fees to commercial shipping, while Washington will instead relax its naval blockade measures.
Still, officials emphasised that military options remain available if diplomacy fails.
“We could resume military strikes if no agreement is reached,” one said.
Administration officials portray the talks as more than just a nuclear agreement, but as part of a broader strategy to change Iran’s internal balance of power.
“The broader overarching goal is to give moderate elements in Iran a chance to overcome the influence of hardliners,” one media interlocutor said.
He said U.S. intelligence believes the moderates are becoming “dominant” even if hardliners still retain significant control.
Officials declined to say definitively whether military pressure or economic sanctions were more responsible for the change in Tehran’s negotiating stance. But they acknowledged that Iranian negotiators are discussing concessions, particularly on uranium enrichment, that they had previously refused to consider.
Meanwhile, officials also said that Trump has recently pressed regional leaders, particularly from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, to support a broader process of regional normalisation involving Israel – a request that reportedly caught some negotiators off guard.