A senior Iranian official said that Iran is prepared to sign a nuclear agreement with President Donald Trump in exchange for the immediate lifting of economic sanctions.
According to a report by NBC News, Ali Shamkhani, a top advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on political, military, and nuclear matters, said Iran is ready to commit to never acquiring nuclear weapons.
The country would agree to dismantle its stockpile of highly enriched uranium capable of being weaponized, restrict enrichment to civilian-use levels, and allow international inspectors to monitor its facilities. In exchange, economic sanctions on Iran would be immediately lifted. Shamkhani confirmed that Iran would agree to sign such a deal today if those conditions were met.
While the final decision rests with Khamenei, Shamkhani’s remarks are the clearest public statement yet of Iran’s willingness to reach a deal with the Trump administration.
“It’s still possible. If the Americans act as they say, for sure we can have better relations,” Shamkhani said. “It can lead to a better situation in the near future.”
President Trump has repeatedly emphasized that the United States will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Although Iran denies working on a nuclear weapons program, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported that Iran has enriched enough near weapons-grade uranium to produce as many as six nuclear bombs.
The US and Iran have been engaged in negotiations over recent weeks. Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, described the latest round of talks in Oman as “encouraging.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed the sentiment, calling the discussions “difficult but useful.”
“Enrichment is an issue that Iran will not give up, and there is no room for compromise on it,” he said. “However, its dimensions, levels or amounts might change for a period to allow confidence-building.”
In his interview with NBC, Shamkhani also expressed concern that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu could interfere with progress by lobbying against the deal in Washington.
“If the Americans remove the Bibi effect, they can easily sign the deal,” Shamkhani said.
The comments come amid reports that President Trump has distanced himself from Netanyahu, as the two leaders are said to be at odds over issues in the region. Netanyahu has also previously proposed military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities; however, it appears the Trump administration sees diplomatic means to address the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran as a viable option.