US President Donald Trump has rejected a report claiming that his administration was considering sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets as part of efforts to restart negotiations with Tehran.
The report, published by Axios, said US officials had indicated that Trump was considering allowing access to frozen Iranian funds in return for concrete steps by Iran on its nuclear programme. Trump, however, dismissed the report as “untrue” and a “hoax” in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Trump said that he had offered Iran “nothing” and accused the report of being false. His response came shortly after the Axios report was published, putting the issue at the centre of the latest developments in the continuing US-Iran confrontation.
CNN separately reported that Trump was open to discussing sanctions relief with Tehran and that talks being conducted through mediators had been described by officials as positive and constructive. However, according to the report, any agreement would require the nuclear issue to be addressed.
The conflicting accounts come at a time when diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran remain uncertain. The United States has been pushing for discussions over Iran’s nuclear programme and other security issues, while Tehran has indicated that it is prepared to negotiate under certain conditions.
The situation has also been complicated by the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global shipping route. Trump recently rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the waterway, describing the offer as unacceptable. He nevertheless said that further discussions with Tehran could take place during the week.
According to the report, those discussions are expected to involve US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance and presidential adviser Jared Kushner.
Iran says it is open to talks
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has also indicated that Tehran remains open to negotiations with Washington over its nuclear programme and other issues.
Speaking to CBS's Face the Nation, Pezeshkian said Iran was not seeking war but would defend itself against pressure, threats and attacks. He also reiterated Iran’s position that it has agreed not to develop nuclear weapons.
At the same time, Tehran has made clear that it does not want negotiations conducted under what it considers coercive conditions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said over the weekend that Tehran’s conditions were clear. He linked the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to those conditions and argued that a negotiated solution was necessary to break the current deadlock.
Strait of Hormuz remains a major issue
The dispute over Hormuz has broader international implications because the waterway is one of the world’s most important routes for energy shipments. Continued disruption or uncertainty around the strait has contributed to concerns over global energy supplies and prices.
The US-Iran confrontation has therefore extended beyond the nuclear issue, with sanctions, frozen assets, shipping access and regional security all forming part of the wider diplomatic discussions.
For now, Trump’s rejection of the sanctions-relief report has added uncertainty over the direction of the negotiations. While Washington and Tehran have both indicated that dialogue remains possible, their stated positions on sanctions, Iran’s nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz remain significantly different.
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