Report: Iran mulling interim nuclear deal with US

Tehran is considering proposing an interim nuclear agreement with Washington as a preliminary step toward a broader, long-term accord, Axios reported on Thursday, citing a European diplomat and a source familiar with the deliberations.

The initiative comes amid heightened pressure from the White House, where President Donald Trump has set a two-month timeline for securing a new nuclear agreement with Iran. In parallel, the US has deployed additional military assets to the Middle East, signaling that it is preparing for alternative scenarios should diplomacy fall short.

In the absence of progress, the president may opt for a military strike against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure—or endorse such an operation by Israel.

Sources familiar with the Iranian approach told Axios that officials in Tehran view the prospect of finalizing a comprehensive and technically complex deal within Trump’s timeframe as implausible. Their aim appears to be securing more time to prevent a rapid escalation.

Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, told Axios, “The Iranians seem to believe that a sustainable deal is unlikely to be achieved in the timeframe that President Trump has in mind. It might therefore be necessary to consider an interim agreement as a way station toward a final deal.”

The Iranian Mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the matter.

According to Axios, an interim agreement could entail temporary concessions such as scaling back uranium enrichment, diluting Iran’s 60% enriched uranium reserves, and granting enhanced access to international inspectors. Although these steps would only marginally extend the timeline for Iran’s potential development of a nuclear weapon, experts believe they could foster a climate more conducive to serious negotiations.

Such a proposal might also include extending the so-called “snapback” mechanism from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which allows for the automatic reimposition of UN sanctions in the event of non-compliance by Iran.

That provision is scheduled to expire in October. France, the United Kingdom, and Germany have already warned Tehran that they will trigger the snapback if no agreement is reached by the end of June.

However, any interim proposal would likely include a demand for the suspension of Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign. The likelihood of the White House agreeing to such a request remains uncertain.

Some officials in Washington are concerned that an interim agreement could be used by Iran to stall negotiations while continuing its nuclear activities. This suspicion may further complicate the administration’s willingness to engage, according to Axios.

The report comes ahead of a meeting in Muscat on Saturday with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff representing Washington and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi representing Tehran.

Despite Trump’s claims that the talks would be direct, Iranian officials said the encounter would involve indirect engagement rather than face-to-face talks.

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that, if military action is required to thwart Iran’s nuclear program, Israel will be involved and even lead the effort.

Asked what his deadline would be for Iran to reach a deal, the President replied, “I can’t really be specific, but when you start talks, you know if they’re going along well or not, and I would say the conclusion would be when I think they’re not going along well.”