US President Donald Trump reportedly sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging him to agree to a new nuclear deal “very soon,” a senior administration official revealed.
However, if Tehran fails to comply, Trump is prepared to consider alternative measures to prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons.
“President Trump made it clear to Ayatollah Khamenei that he wanted to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program diplomatically—and very soon. If this was not possible, there would be other ways to resolve it,” US National Security Council official Brian Hughes told The New York Post.
Two-month deadline
Trump has given the 85-year-old supreme leader a two-month deadline to reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, Axios reported. The president had hinted at the move earlier in an interview with Fox News, revealing that he had reached out to Khamenei to propose direct negotiations.
“We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. Something is going to happen very soon. I would rather have a peace deal than the other option, but the other option will solve the problem,” Trump had said.
The letter was passed through diplomatic channels, first handed to UAE President Mohammed Bin Zayed by US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, before being transferred to Iran, Axios revealed. However, it remains unclear when exactly the two-month deadline began.
Iran’s response
Khamenei dismissed Trump’s letter as “a deception” aimed at portraying Iran as unwilling to negotiate. However, Iran’s mission to the United Nations later suggested it was open to discussions—under specific conditions.
“If the objective of negotiations is to address concerns regarding any potential militarization of Iran’s nuclear program, such discussions may be considered,” the statement read.
“However, if the goal is to dismantle Iran’s peaceful nuclear program to claim that what Obama failed to achieve has now been accomplished, such negotiations will never take place.”
The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), brokered under former President Barack Obama, imposed temporary restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. A vocal critic of the deal, Trump withdrew the US from the agreement in 2018, reimposing heavy sanctions under a “maximum pressure” campaign. In response, Tehran resumed uranium enrichment beyond JCPOA limits, including restarting an advanced centrifuge facility in Natanz in 2020.
Rising tensions
The nuclear negotiations come amid rising tensions, with US officials alleging in court documents that Iran plotted to assassinate Trump during the 2024 election season. Tehran has also sought revenge for the 2020 killing of General Qasem Soleimani, who was targeted in a US airstrike ordered by Trump.
Trump has warned that any attack against him would trigger explicit instructions he left his team to “obliterate” the regime if Iran kills him.
Meanwhile, Trump issued fresh warnings to Iran over its alleged support for Houthi militants, who have been attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
“Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN. IRAN will be held responsible and suffer the consequences—and those consequences will be dire,” Trump declared on Truth Social on Monday.
