President Donald Trump has privately told White House officials he may be willing to scale back his pursuit of a broad nuclear agreement with Iran as he looks for a path out of the ongoing conflict, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has informed senior aides in recent weeks that he could accept an outcome in which Iran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz without securing a wider agreement over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Such a move would represent a significant shift from one of the administration’s primary objectives since diplomatic talks began in April. Throughout those negotiations, preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon had been a central condition of any broader settlement.
According to the report, Trump has increasingly turned his attention toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important shipping lane where Iranian missile and drone attacks have disrupted commercial traffic and contributed to rising global energy prices.
The Journal reported that Trump has privately argued Iran is unlikely to be able to rebuild its nuclear program during his presidency after the United States destroyed three major nuclear sites last year.
The president has also reportedly expressed confidence that U.S. intelligence agencies would detect any attempt by Iran to reconstruct those facilities or secretly pursue a nuclear weapon. According to the report, Trump also believes the possibility of additional U.S. military strikes could discourage Tehran from attempting to restart its program.
Officials told the newspaper that if Iran’s nuclear capabilities remain effectively contained and commercial shipping resumes through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump would be more inclined to extend the current ceasefire indefinitely.
At the same time, Iran has reportedly complicated efforts to reach an agreement by presenting a sweeping list of demands tied to reopening the vital waterway.
According to Iranian state media, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the United States would have to permanently end the war, withdraw American forces, lift sanctions and the naval blockade, release frozen Iranian assets, and pay war reparations before the strait would be reopened.
The reported demands come as Trump has continued to publicly project confidence that an agreement remains within reach while also warning Iran of possible military action.
In recent days, Trump told reporters that a deal was “imminent.” On Friday, he also shared an article declaring, “Donald Trump Won the Iran War.”
The president has likewise sought to minimize concerns surrounding Iran’s buried uranium stockpile.
Speaking to attendees at the NATO summit in July, Trump said, “We’ve already got the nuclear material, because it’s so far underground… Nobody’s going to be able to get it except us.”
The report says political pressure is mounting as the administration searches for an exit strategy to the conflict. With November’s midterm elections approaching, Americans continue to contend with elevated fuel costs, adding another layer of urgency as the White House weighs its next steps regarding Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
[READ MORE: U.S. Student Visas for Indian, Chinese Nationals Fell Sharply in 2025, Analysis Finds]
