US President Donald Trump is willing to offer economic sanctions relief and release frozen funds to Iran in exchange for concrete progress related to its nuclear programme, a US official told American news outlets Axios and CNN.
Washington is engaging in "positive and constructive" talks via mediators, CNN quoted a US official as saying, emphasising that negotiators would not finalise an agreement unless they fully resolved nuclear-related concerns.
Trump later said that the US is going to win the Iran war "one way or the other," predicting it would happen "pretty quickly."
The prospective diplomatic opening comes after Trump on Saturday rejected an Iranian proposal aimed at easing tensions and reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz, calling Tehran's conditions "unacceptable" amid the seven-month Iran war.
Trump said on Sunday that he expects additional negotiations with Tehran this week, asserting that Iranian officials "overplayed" their hand during earlier talks.
Hopes of diplomatic breakthrough
The US offer comes as Qatari and Pakistani mediators renew efforts this week to broker a deal between Washington and Tehran.
It raises hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough after Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal, according to Axios.
Trump told the outlet that he expected further talks this week.
“The Strait of Hormuz traffic continues to rise, and the blockade and sanctions continue to degrade Iran's position. The US position gets stronger every day, and President Trump remains patient and fully committed to his goal that Iran never have a nuclear weapon," a US official told Axios.
The official added that special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were leading Washington’s negotiating efforts.
