The White House is seriously considering Iran's proposal for indirect nuclear talks, while significantly increasing US forces in the Middle East in case President Donald Trump chooses to conduct military strikes, two senior American officials told Walla on Wednesday.
Over the weekend, Trump received Iran’s official response to the letter he sent to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei three weeks ago, a senior US official said. While Trump proposed direct negotiations for a new nuclear deal, the Iranians agreed only to indirect talks mediated by the Sultanate of Oman.
The senior US official noted that the Trump administration believes direct talks would have a higher chance of success but does not rule out the format proposed by the Iranians and does not oppose Oman serving as a mediator between the countries, as it has in the past.
Two senior US officials stated that no decision has been made yet and that internal discussions are ongoing. "After the exchange of letters, we are now evaluating the next steps to begin talks and build trust with the Iranians," one senior official said.
Why is this important?
Trump has repeatedly stated that he prefers to reach a new nuclear deal but warned that without an agreement, "there will be bombing."
His timeline is tight: the president has given Iran a two-month deadline to reach a deal, but it remains unclear if or when that clock started ticking.
At the White House, an internal debate is still ongoing between those who believe an agreement is achievable and those who think negotiations would be a waste of time. The latter are instead pushing for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon continues its massive buildup of forces in the Middle East. If Trump decides that the time has come, he will have a loaded gun ready to fire.
For now, it remains unclear under what circumstances Trump might abandon diplomacy and order strikes.
In the News
The exchange of threats between Tehran and Washington has escalated since Trump’s statement on Sunday that he would bomb Iran if a nuclear deal is not reached.
On Monday, Khamenei responded by saying that while he does not believe the US will attack Iran, "it will certainly receive a harsh blow in return" if it does. Iran also filed an official diplomatic protest—delivered via the Swiss Embassy, as the US and Iran do not have diplomatic relations—warning that it would "respond decisively and immediately to any threat."
"The US has 10 bases and 50,000 troops in the region… if you live in a glass house, you shouldn't throw stones," the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Air Force said earlier this week on Iranian television.
Khamenei’s advisor and former parliament speaker Ali Larijani emphasized that if the US. bombs Iran’s nuclear facilities, Iranian public opinion will pressure the government to change its policy and pursue nuclear weapons.
Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal, arguing that his "maximum pressure" strategy would force Iran to sign a better agreement. He failed to secure a new deal, as did President Biden. Meanwhile, Iran has dramatically increased its uranium enrichment and is now considered a nuclear threshold state—though Tehran insists it does not seek nuclear weapons. Iran has also stated that it is unwilling to negotiate on non-nuclear matters, such as its missile program, which Trump and his team previously insisted must be on the table.
Presence in the region
On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced it is deploying additional troops and aerial assets to the region, with two aircraft carriers—the Truman and Vinson—to be stationed in the Middle East. Last week, the Pentagon also deployed several B-2 stealth bombers to Diego Garcia, a military base in the Indian Ocean. A senior US official stated that the bombers' deployment is "not unrelated" to Trump’s deadline for Iran.
B-2 bombers are capable of carrying massive bunker-buster bombs, which would play a key role in any potential military action against Iran’s underground nuclear facilities.
“The US and its partners are prepared to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to expand or escalate the conflict in the region. If Iran or its proxies threaten American troops or interests, the US will take decisive action to defend itself,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell in a statement.
A senior US official emphasized that Trump does not want to go to war with Iran but sees the military buildup as necessary to strengthen deterrence in negotiations—and to be ready to act if diplomacy fails and the situation escalates rapidly.