U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran has reached out to Washington seeking the lifting of tough American sanctions, signaling a possible diplomatic opening after months of heightened tension between the two long-time adversaries.
“Iran has been asking if the sanctions could be lifted,” Trump told reporters at the White House late Thursday. “Iran has got very heavy U.S. sanctions, and it makes it really hard for them to do what they’d like to be able to do. And I’m open to hearing that, and we’ll see what happens, but I would be open to it.”
Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump’s remarks come amid renewed strain between Washington and Tehran following the U.S. airstrikes in June that targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities as part of what the administration described as an effort to prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons.
The attack further derailed fragile diplomatic efforts that had seen five rounds of nuclear talks earlier this year.
Those negotiations, which took place before the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June, stalled over key issues including Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Western powers have insisted that enrichment on Iranian soil must be reduced to zero to eliminate any chance of weaponization, a demand Tehran has flatly rejected.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the possibility of renewed cooperation with Washington earlier this week, saying such engagement was impossible as long as the U.S. continues to support Israel, maintain military bases, and “interfere” in Middle Eastern affairs.
After beginning his second term in January, Trump reinstated his “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran, tightening economic and financial sanctions in an effort to isolate Iran diplomatically and economically.
While Trump’s comments on Thursday suggested a degree of openness to negotiation, analysts cautioned that any breakthrough remains unlikely without a shift in both countries’ hardened positions.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
