Trump pushes Iran for written nuclear commitments in early deal effort, officials say

President Donald Trump is pressing Tehran to place specific nuclear concessions in writing as part of a preliminary agreement aimed at breaking the prolonged deadlock between Washington and Tehran, U.S. officials and a source familiar with the matter told US media.

Iranian negotiators had previously offered verbal assurances that the country would ultimately accept certain limitations on its nuclear programme. However, Trump concluded during a Situation Room meeting on May 29 that those commitments were insufficient, the sources said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined the administration’s position during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 2, stressing that Washington is seeking concrete commitments on Iran’s nuclear materials and enrichment activities.

"They have to commit to very specific negotiations on highly enriched -- the disposition of the highly enriched uranium that still is buried deep in a mountain somewhere," Rubio said. "They have to agree on negotiating severe and long-term limitations and/or cancellation of enrichment activity in their country."

Rubio added that some details, including potential financial incentives for Tehran, could be worked out later in the process.

"For example, they have to commit to say 'we will dispose of the enriched uranium. And the question now is 'What are the mechanisms by which we do so?' That can be negotiated," he said.

The emerging framework under discussion between U.S. and Iranian negotiators centres on a preliminary memorandum of understanding that would extend a fragile ceasefire, gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and set a timetable for broader nuclear talks.

Last week, negotiators on both sides reportedly agreed on a draft that could have won support from Trump and Iran’s leadership. That version included a written pledge that Iran would not pursue nuclear weapons, a position Tehran has repeatedly stated publicly, but did not include detailed constraints on its wider nuclear programme, which Iran maintains is for peaceful purposes.

Iran is now reviewing the updated terms, and officials say it has not yet signalled whether it will accept them.

U.S. officials said Trump is reluctant to offer major economic concessions at this stage. Rubio told lawmakers that sanctions relief and unfreezing Iranian assets would only be considered after Iran demonstrates compliance with nuclear commitments.

"You ultimately are negotiating with people who then have to negotiate within their own system to see what they're allowed to give and what they're allowed to agree to," Rubio said.

Trump told Chief Washington Correspondent of the same media Jonathan Karl on June 1 that he expects Iran to accept the terms within a week, although U.S. officials remain cautious about internal divisions within Iran’s political system that could complicate any agreement.

A state-run Iranian news agency said the draft agreement is still under review in Tehran.

Rubio also suggested that despite limited public visibility, Iran’s leadership structure remains engaged in the process.

"You ultimately are negotiating with people who then have to negotiate within their own system to see what they're allowed to give and what they're allowed to agree to," Rubio said.

He added that although Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since being injured in the strike that killed his father during the opening hours of the war, there were now "indications" that he is "increasingly engaging at some level" in negotiations.