Donald Trump took to social media on Friday night to dismiss reports that the White House is considering a $30 billion deal with Iran to develop their civilian nuclear capacity in exchange for the country stopping its nuclear enrichment program. “Never heard of this ridiculous idea,” the president posted on Truth Social late Friday night. “It’s just another HOAX put out by the Fake News in order to demean. These people are SICK!!!”
CNN first reported on Thursday that the White House was engaged in negotiations with Iran, citing four unnamed “sources familiar with the matter.” Other offers reportedly included the easing of sanctions and the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets. Negotiators with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Gulf partners discussed the $20-30 billion figure the previous Friday, according to CNN, with American officials pushing for their Arab partners in the region to foot the bill.
On the same day as CNN’s report, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared victory in the war against Israel, claiming in a TV-broadcasted message that Iran’s success amounted to “a hand slap to America’s face.” Khamenei also added that Iran’s response to Israel’s attack “can be repeated in the future.” Hours after that statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the Israeli strikes had “seriously damaged” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Trump responded on Friday afternoon to the supreme leader’s statement with a Truth Social post: “[Khamenei’s] Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life.” The president’s post went on to say that he “immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more” in reaction to Khamenei’s statement.
Over 600 Iranians and 30 Israelis have died, and thousands more have been injured, since Israel launched what officials called a “pre-emptive” missile strike against Iranian nuclear infrastructure and other targets on June 13th, which set off a series of bombing and missile attacks between the two nations that ended with a ceasefire on June 24th. Israel is widely believed to have an undeclared arsenal of at least 90 nuclear weapons, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
