Trump Open to Easing Iran Sanctions If Nuclear Talks Progress, Official Says

President Donald Trump is willing to bend on Iran sanctions if Tehran makes progress on nuclear issues, an official told The Jerusalem Post. The official said indirect negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials have remained positive and constructive, but that no deal will be made unless it addresses the nuclear file.

The statement is the clearest public signal in days about how Washington sequences sanctions relief against nuclear concessions. It comes as mediators are still working on a possible agreement, according to AP News.

What the official said

The Jerusalem Post report, which relies on one unnamed U.S. official, makes two points:

• Flexibility on sanctions is conditional. Trump would be willing to bend, but only if progress is made on nuclear issues.
• The talks are indirect and, in the official’s words, positive and constructive. The official also said a deal is not possible unless it deals with the nuclear question.

The summary of the report we reviewed does not say which sanctions could be eased, how much progress would count, or on what timeline. It also does not name the official. We have not independently confirmed the account, and neither the White House nor Tehran had publicly confirmed these terms in the reporting available to us.

Mediators still engaged

AP News reported that officials say mediators are still working with Iran and the U.S. on a possible deal. The headline we reviewed does not identify the mediators or give a date for the next round, and we have not seen the full text. That leaves the “indirect” format described by the U.S. official as the only confirmed channel.

A day of mixed signals

The conciliatory tone sits alongside a harder public line earlier in the day. Oil prices rebounded after Trump rejected an Iranian proposal on the Strait of Hormuz, though he said he still expects new talks, as we reported. Tehran has said it will not back down from its demands.

The military picture is also unsettled. The Tehran Times reported that an Iranian anti-ship cruise missile strike near the Strait of Hormuz left at least eight U.S. Marines wounded. The Tehran Times is an Iranian outlet, and its account should be treated as an assertion by one party. Our own coverage of the incident is in our report on the Marines injured near Hormuz.

On the sanctions side, our earlier report on the Treasury Department’s thanks to Turkey, Oman and the UAE showed Washington working with regional partners on enforcement. An offer to bend on sanctions would sit uneasily beside that enforcement push unless it is tied tightly to verifiable nuclear steps.

Analysis: what a conditional offer does

This section is analysis, not reporting.

Linking sanctions relief to nuclear progress is a familiar structure in Iran diplomacy, and it does two things. It tells Tehran that economic relief is available, which gives Iranian negotiators something to bring home. It also keeps the nuclear file at the center, which is the issue the official said cannot be avoided.

The risk is sequencing. Public statements from both sides in recent days suggest each expects the other to move first. If Washington wants nuclear progress before easing sanctions and Tehran wants relief before making nuclear concessions, an intermediary formula would be needed. Mediators are presumably working on that gap, but the reporting we have seen does not describe the formula under discussion.

The single-source nature of the Jerusalem Post account also matters. An anonymous official’s description of U.S. flexibility can be a genuine signal, a negotiating message aimed at Tehran, or reassurance aimed at markets and allies. From the available sourcing we cannot tell which.

What to watch

• On-record confirmation. A statement from the White House, State Department or Treasury on the conditions for sanctions flexibility would firm up the report.
• Iran’s response. Whether Tehran accepts nuclear issues as a required part of any deal.
• Mediator announcements. A named venue, date or delegation for the next round.
• Hormuz developments. Further incidents near the strait could narrow the room for talks.
• Oil prices. Traders have reacted to each swing between rejection and talk of new negotiations.

This article is based on published reports by The Jerusalem Post, AP News and the Tehran Times. Where the reporting is incomplete, we have said so. Attributed claims from officials and Iranian media have not been independently verified.