Trump denies offering Iran sanctions relief for nuclear concessions
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
US President Donald Trump has offered shifting goals and timelines for the Iran war that began on Feb 28.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
- US President Donald Trump denied offering Iran sanctions relief or releasing frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions, calling such claims "untrue."
- Reports from Axios and CNN suggested Trump was willing to provide relief if Iran showed "concrete progress" on its nuclear programme.
- US and Iranian officials held talks on Sept 28 to try to end a seven-month conflict involving strikes and casualties, amid ongoing disputes over Iran's nuclear activities.
AI generated
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump denied on Sept 28 offering Iran sanctions relief and the release of frozen funds in return for nuclear concessions from Tehran.
“This is untrue. I offered them nothing,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, responding to an Axios report citing US officials who said he was willing to give Iran sanctions relief and release Iranian frozen funds in return for “concrete” Iranian steps regarding the nuclear programme.
The Axios report did not identify the US officials.
CNN also reported, citing an unidentified US official, that Trump was willing to give Iran sanctions relief and release frozen funds as part of a final deal on the condition that Iran offered “concrete progress” on the nuclear issue.
Trump has offered shifting goals and timelines for the Iran war that began on Feb 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran and Tehran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host US bases.
US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions.
US and Iranian officials spoke separately with mediators on Sept 28 as part of a renewed effort to end seven months of war, according to officials from both countries.
Trump has cited weakening Iran’s nuclear capabilities as one of his war objectives.
Iran, which does not have nuclear weapons, denies seeking them. The US is nuclear-armed.
Tehran says it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. REUTERS