White House says Trump open to Iran sanctions relief tied to nuclear progress
CNN reports a White House official confirms the offer, which a US official had already described as including unfreezing Iranian assets
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UpdateMonday, September 28, 2026 at 5:45 PM ET
Trump has denied making any sanctions relief offer to Iran, contradicting the White House confirmation reported above.
Trump said Monday he did not offer Iran sanctions relief, directly denying the White House confirmation and the earlier US official's account of an offer tied to nuclear concessions.
UpdateMonday, September 28, 2026 at 1:50 PM ET
US officials now describe the mediated talks as positive and constructive, saying Iran has shown flexibility on nuclear matters, a warmer tone than other accounts of the same negotiations. A source involved in the talks told Al Arabiya the odds of a deal are extremely slim, citing wide gaps between the sides, and officials in Tehran have said a deal with Washington before the US midterm elections is unlikely. Accounts of what has been agreed also diverge. Al Hadath, citing sources, reported that Iran agreed to halt uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief, a claim that conflicts with other descriptions of stalled contacts. Tasnim, citing Iranian officials, confirmed the Monday me
UpdateMonday, September 28, 2026 at 1:15 PM ET
A US official tells Axios that Washington needs proof Iran is serious about negotiating, not simply looking for a way out of its current troubles. Officials in Tehran say a deal with Washington before the US midterm elections is unlikely. Iran's foreign minister, Araghchi, met mediators in New York on Monday, with no US representatives at the table, according to Tasnim.
UpdateMonday, September 28, 2026 at 12:35 PM ET
Iran's New York delegation says it will not continue talks with Washington, a decision that followed Trump's rejection of a nuclear proposal from Tehran after weeks of talks Iranian officials had called increasingly positive. Crude futures had jumped more than 4% to a session high of $96.44 a barrel after the delegation's statement. Iran's Araghchi met mediators in New York on Monday, but US representatives were not at the table.
A White House official has confirmed to CNN that Trump is open to easing sanctions on Iran if there is concrete progress on the nuclear file. The confirmation matches what a US official said earlier: that the offer includes unfreezing Iranian assets in exchange for nuclear concessions.
The diplomatic picture remains unsettled. Iran has said the meeting set for Monday in New York is with mediators, not direct talks with Washington. Separate US-Iran talks were expected Monday or Tuesday, centred on a revised seven-day Iranian proposal discussed at the UN General Assembly. Iran's military chief, Abdollahi, has warned of a "devastating response" to any threat.
The CNN confirmation adds no new terms beyond sanctions relief tied to nuclear progress, and it reinforces rather than advances the earlier softening already reported. That keeps crude's risk premium pointed lower, but with limited fresh upside, since markets have likely already priced in the initial report.