Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, Iran is now considering an interim nuclear agreement with the United States as a way to buy time and avoid a potential military conflict. According to sources speaking to Axios, Iranian officials believe that reaching a full and complex nuclear deal within the two-month deadline set by President Trump is unrealistic. Instead, they want to focus on a temporary agreement that could serve as a stepping stone toward a final, long-term arrangement.

“The Iranians seem to believe that a sustainable deal is unlikely to be achieved in the timeframe that President Trump has in mind,” said Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group. “It might therefore be necessary to consider an interim agreement as a way station toward a final deal.”

This approach appears to reflect a strategy aimed at de-escalating immediate threats while still keeping open the door to diplomacy. Iran has not officially confirmed this plan, but diplomatic sources say it is a major topic of internal discussions as U.S. negotiators prepare for talks.

Trump’s Two-Month Deadline Raises the Stakes

President Trump’s administration has made it clear that time is running out. A letter sent by Trump to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei included a two-month deadline for a new nuclear deal. The exact starting point of the deadline remains unclear, but the message was firm: if Iran fails to engage in meaningful negotiations and does not reach an agreement within the set period, the risk of military action will increase dramatically.

“We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. Something is going to happen very soon,” Trump told Fox News. “I would rather have a peace deal than the other option, but the other option will solve the problem.”

The letter was delivered just days ago by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff to the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed Bin Zayed. It was then passed along to Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi through an Omani diplomat. This backchannel method highlights the careful diplomacy surrounding the situation, but also the urgency.

On Wednesday, speaking to reporters from the Oval Office, Trump said, “There is a little time… but not much time.” He added, “When you start talks, you know pretty quickly whether they’re going well or not. So the conclusion would be — when I feel they’re not going well.”

What the Interim Deal Might Include

While full details are still being discussed behind closed doors, experts have suggested what an interim deal could look like. It may involve Iran agreeing to suspend certain uranium enrichment activities and diluting its current stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent. That level is just short of weapons-grade, which starts at 90 percent. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran now has enough 60 percent enriched uranium to produce six nuclear bombs if further enriched.

The deal might also allow for expanded inspections by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. This would give outside observers more access to Iran’s nuclear sites and help monitor compliance.

In addition, the interim deal may extend a key safeguard known as the “snapback” mechanism, originally part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. This measure allows for the automatic return of U.N. sanctions if Iran is found to be in violation. Currently, the snapback clause is set to expire in October. France, the United Kingdom, and Germany have already warned Iran that if no new agreement is reached by the end of June, they will trigger the snapback sanctions themselves.

However, Iran is also expected to push for relief in return. Specifically, Tehran would likely demand that the United States pause or ease some of the economic pressure imposed under Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign. This campaign has included multiple rounds of sanctions, most recently targeting Iranian companies and individuals linked to the country’s nuclear program and oil industry.

While some see the interim agreement as a possible path forward, others in the Trump administration remain skeptical. They fear that Iran could use the time bought by such a deal to continue making progress in secret, without making real changes to its nuclear program.

An interim deal “could further increase suspicion and skepticism in the Trump administration about Iranian leaders’ intentions and whether they are trying to buy time without rolling back their nuclear program,” Axios reported.

Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, echoed this concern when he said that Iran must “hand over and give up all elements of its nuclear program, including missiles, weaponization and enrichment of uranium, or they can face a whole series of other consequences.”

Iran Responds with Mixed Signals

Iran has not issued an official response to the interim proposal, but statements from Tehran show division. Supreme Leader Khamenei has dismissed Trump’s outreach as insincere. Last week, he called the U.S. proposal for talks “a deception” and said it was only meant to give the appearance that Iran refuses to negotiate. However, just hours after his remarks, Iran’s mission to the United Nations issued a more measured statement on social media.

“If the objective of negotiations is to address concerns vis-à-vis any potential militarization of Iran’s nuclear program, such discussions may be subject to consideration,” the statement read.

Still, they drew a clear line. “If the aim of the talks is the dismantlement of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program to claim that what Obama failed to achieve has now been accomplished, such negotiations will never take place.”

In a separate warning, Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Khamenei and former head of Iran’s National Security Council, said on Thursday that military threats “may lead to deterrent measures.” He suggested Iran could expel international inspectors and move its enriched uranium stockpile to undisclosed locations beyond the reach of the United Nations.

Talks are scheduled to begin on Saturday in Oman between Steve Witkoff and Abbas Araghchi. While the United States says the negotiations will be direct, Iran maintains that they will be conducted through Omani mediators, led by Oman’s foreign minister Badr al-Busaidi.

Much remains uncertain. Trump said this week, “I’m not asking for much… but they can’t have a nuclear weapon.” He also made clear that military options are still on the table. “If it requires military, we’re going to have military. Israel will obviously be very involved in that — maybe even lead it. But nobody leads us. We do what we want to do.”

ACZ Editor: Iran has shown over and over that it cannot abide by an agreement, and Trump knows this. The question will always be in the verification, and for verification we must have access. The Trump Administration has its work cut out for it.