On June 27, 2025, then President Trump entered the Press Briefing Room at the White House to address the media. Here’s what he discussed, including new U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting federal judges’ power. It was his statements about Iran’s possible nuclear program and economic carrots that got the most ink.
The Trump administration is intent on pursuing a particularly toxic version of this idea. Iran would receive as much as $30 billion in direct economic benefits, including the unfreezing of Iranian assets, under this blueprint. This is a big departure from Trump’s previous position. In 2018, he pulled the United States out of the Obama-era nuclear agreement, claiming that Iran’s sanctions relief only made the Iranian regime more powerful.
In light of recent events, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s declaration of victory in the conflict against Israel, Trump expressed concerns about the implications of easing sanctions. He warned that he would reimpose any future sanctions relief should Iran persist in lying about its successes in regional wars.
“Why would the so-called ‘Supreme Leader,’ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie?” Trump questioned during his remarks.
In spite of these rising tensions, Trump suggested that Iran is not yet saying no to talks. During a White House meeting with foreign ministers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda, he stated, “They do want to meet me, and we’ll do that quickly. We’re going to do it quickly.” This seems to imply an openness on the U.S. side to engage further with Iranian officials with respect to potential sanctions relief.
Mostly, Trump jumped on Truth Social to criticize reports of his own administration’s efforts to develop economic incentives for Iran. He labeled such discussions as “just another HOAX put out by the Fake News,” reinforcing his long-standing critique of media narratives surrounding his policy decisions.
The prospective agreement would allow Iran to pursue a civilian nuclear program, backed by regional states. This change would signal a major departure from Trump’s general hardline position toward Iran. This proposal has sparked a firestorm of opposition from pundits and political experts. They argue to what extent these economic incentives will promote a more constructive bilateral relationship, or alternatively just embolden the Iranian regime.