Iran is seeking to offer Donald Trump financial incentives, including investments in its vast oil and gas reserves, in an effort to persuade the US president to agree to a deal on its nuclear program and avert war, the Financial Times reports.
A person familiar with the situation described the potential as a “commercial bonanza” and noted that Tehran aims to attract Trump’s interest with deals that could offer a financial dividend for the US.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will hold another round of indirect talks with US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Geneva on Thursday.
A senior US official said no commercial offer has yet been made to the US. “It was never discussed. President Trump has made it clear that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon or the capacity to produce one,” the official said.
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A person familiar with the matter told the news outlet that the investment opportunities were “specifically targeted at Trump, including significant economic boom in oil, gas, mining rights and critical minerals.”
Another person mentioned that there had been discussions about Iran potentially offering US gas and oil investments. However, the proposal has not yet been formally submitted to Washington.
“(Iran is) looking at Venezuela as a case study,” the person said, referring to Trump’s push to encourage US companies to secure oil deals in the Latin American country after US action to seize Nicolás Maduro last month.
Iranian target
The idea is part of Iran’s efforts to demonstrate to Washington that it is committed to the deal and to stave off US strikes, especially as Trump mounts pressure.
Iranian officials have also threatened to escalate any conflict with the US after the US attack, suggesting they may reconsider their earlier policy of limiting retaliation.
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Criticism of Trump
Trump, who has orchestrated the largest military buildup in the Middle East since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, warned Tehran last week that it had “at most” 15 days to strike a deal or “bad things will happen”.
During Tuesday’s State of the Union address, Trump criticized what he called Iran’s “sinister” nuclear ambitions, accusing Tehran of “working to build missiles that will soon reach” the US.
“My preference is to resolve this issue through diplomacy,” he said. “But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror that they are… to have a nuclear weapon. I must not allow that.”
Iran says its program is for civilian use, yet it enriched uranium to near weapons-grade levels before the United States and Israel bombed its nuclear facilities last year.
The report says Iran is considering a multinational verification mechanism for its nuclear program. This could include a US team or a third country acting on its behalf, in addition to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN watchdog.
On Tuesday, Araghchi said Iran would “never develop a nuclear weapon under any circumstances” and would seek a “fair and just deal – in the shortest possible time.”
