President Donald Trump claims Iran has permanently agreed to abandon its nuclear weapons program as the United States and regional mediators await Tehran's response regarding a potential high-level peace summit that could take place as early as Thursday.
"They agreed that they will never possess nuclear weapons. They agreed to this," Trump told journalists at the White House on Tuesday. Framing the ongoing conflict as a "very successful" military operation, he declared, "We have really regime changed; this is a change in the regime because the leaders are all very different than the ones we started off with."
Trump boasted of overwhelming military dominance, claiming the U.S. is "roaming free over Tehran" and intercepting 100 missiles aimed at the USS Abraham Lincoln. He added that the U.S. received a "big present worth a tremendous amount of money" related to oil and gas, while also taking a brief domestic political swipe to call Democrats "thugs."
The diplomatic push centers on a 15-point U.S. proposal shared with Israel. According to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, Iranian interlocutors have allegedly agreed to major concessions, including surrendering their 450-kilogram stockpile of 60% enriched uranium, accepting enhanced UN inspections, limiting ballistic missile ranges, and curbing proxy support. The outreach effort reportedly involves Vice President JD Vance, Senator Marco Rubio, Witkoff, and Jared Kushner.
Pakistan, coordinating with Egypt and Turkey, has offered to host the prospective peace talks. Trump amplified the Pakistani offer on Truth Social, signaling his interest in a summit. If finalized, the talks could feature Vance and Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, whom the White House views as a viable intermediary.
Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, remain deeply skeptical. Israeli intelligence doubts Iran has genuinely agreed to Trump's sweeping demands. Officials fear the U.S. president might accept a premature deal that forces significant concessions while restricting Israel's ability to conduct future strikes against Iranian targets.
In Tehran, officials publicly deny Trump's claims of active back-channel negotiations but confirm receiving U.S. messages. U.S. intelligence suggests the Iranian government is in chaos, complicated by uncertainty over the status of the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. Some Iranian figures dismiss Trump's rhetoric as an attempt to calm global markets and buy time for military plans.
The Trump administration explicitly favors negotiating under fire rather than accepting a temporary ceasefire. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized this aggressive posture, stating, "We negotiate with bombs." Hegseth noted that Iran's military has been "rapidly and historically obliterated from day one," distinguishing the campaign from past conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trump acknowledged his defense secretary's hardline stance, noting, "Pete Hegseth didn't want it to be settled."
While Trump has paused planned strikes on Iranian power plants until Friday to test the diplomatic waters, the U.S. military is preparing for potential escalation. The command element of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division is deploying to the Middle East, significantly expanding options for potential ground operations.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reinforced the administration's dual-track approach. "As President Trump and his negotiators explore this newfound possibility of diplomacy, Operation Epic Fury continues unabated to achieve the military objectives laid out by the Commander in Chief and the Pentagon," she said. A White House official summarized the fluid situation, stating that if a deal cannot be struck, "we will go back to bombing them."