Iran · updated 1h ago · 3 min read
Donald Trump Denies Offering Iran Sanctions Relief And Frozen Funds For Nuclear Concessions
Trump denied offering Iran sanctions relief and freeing frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions. He called Axios report untrue and demanded its withdrawal on Truth Social.
15 outlets told this the same way.
7 of 8 outlets skipped it: iranian air travel restrictions have reduced flights by about half in a week.
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Trump denies sanctions offer
US President Donald Trump denied a report that his administration offered Iran sanctions relief and access to frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions, writing on Truth Social, "Axios just released a story that 'Trump' offered Sanctions Relief and Frozen Funds to Iran. This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING!"
“Axios just released a story that 'Trump' offered Sanctions Relief and Frozen Funds to Iran. This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING!”
Trump demanded Axios "IMMEDIATELY" withdraw the story after he rejected an Iran-proposed ceasefire deal over the weekend, according to the account that Iran’s proposal demanded a suspension of the US blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told local media that it is "up to President Trump to choose" between diplomacy and continuing the war, and he added, "We are fully prepared for the war to be resumed."
Qatar acted as intermediary as separate contacts continued between American and Iranian officials, and the immediate objective of the efforts was described as related to the Strait of Hormuz.
The dispute played out while the Trump administration maintained a campaign of economic pressure against Tehran, including the so-called "Operation Economic Outcast" launched in August and sanctions announced on September 8 against 36 targets related to the Iranian aviation industry.
Araghchi, mediators, and talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was set to leave the US on Monday and that the Qatari mediators would communicate the US's answer, after Iranian representatives met with Qatari mediators in New York to discuss changes to a deal Iran proposed last week. Araghchi said, "If the Americans claim they are seeking an agreement or a peaceful solution, we have presented that solution," and he added that he hoped for a US response by Tuesday. A US official told CNN that the United States was having "positive and constructive discussions through the mediators," while the official also said there would be no deal unless nuclear issues were addressed.
The US official described Trump’s Saturday rejection of Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as "unacceptable," and the official said Trump disputed the idea he had "offered" Iran any concession by saying on Truth Social that he "offered them NOTHING!" CNN also quoted US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz saying Trump rejected the proposal because he did not believe Iran was negotiating in good faith, arguing that Tehran was "asking for everything up front."
What is at stake
The sources tied the diplomatic standoff to the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran’s seven-day proposal described as contemplating reopening the strait and resuming talks aimed at reaching a broader agreement. Trump rejected that initiative, and the reporting said the immediate objective of the mediation efforts was related to the Strait of Hormuz as a key maritime route for international hydrocarbon transport. The sources also tied the negotiations to US skepticism about Iran’s follow-through, with the US official saying Washington doubted "Iranian promises" after Iran breached the memorandum of understanding by firing on commercial ships.
The reporting said the White House was skeptical about Iran’s promises and accused the Iranians of breaking the last memorandum of understanding by firing at commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz in July, while the official stressed there won’t be a deal unless the nuclear issues are addressed. As the diplomatic dispute continued, the sources described how US aviation sanctions reduced Iran’s international flights by about half in one week, and how Baghdad airport stopped accepting flights operated by Iranian airlines on September 22, with Najaf airport suspending all flights to and from Iran on September 25.