Trump Administration Offers Iran 2 Paths on Nuclear Program as Blockade Costs Tehran $450 Million a Day
Updated
Updated · The Atlantic · May 29
Trump Administration Offers Iran 2 Paths on Nuclear Program as Blockade Costs Tehran $450 Million a Day
6 articles · Updated · The Atlantic · May 29
Washington plans to tell Tehran within weeks to choose between dismantling its nuclear-weapons effort, curbing proxies and hostility, or facing a continued blockade, sanctions and possible renewed war.
The offer pairs hundreds of billions of dollars in potential Gulf investment with demands that Iran freeze long-term enrichment, remove its 400-kilogram stockpile of highly enriched uranium and accept intrusive inspections.
Hormuz is the immediate test: a first-phase deal would have Iran stop mining and harassing shipping while the U.S. eases its blockade proportionally, though both sides could use any pause to regroup.
U.S. officials think reopening the strait would lower oil prices and be hard for Iran to reverse, but Tehran appears to bet Trump will be less willing to restart war as midterms approach.
The administration sees little chance of a durable bargain because Iran's 47-year revolutionary identity depends on resisting the U.S. and Israel even as inflation nears 70% and the blockade drains an estimated $450 million daily.
Is the US-Iran ceasefire a path to peace or just a pause before a larger war?
Will Iran’s new 'Strait Authority' permanently control the world's most vital oil route?
As its economy collapses, will Iran trade its revolutionary ideals for survival?
In late May 2026, a draft U.S.-Iran peace plan emerged as a possible turning point in the long conflict between Washington and Tehran. While Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent avoided confirming any agreement and stressed that only President Trump could make the final decision, the administration focused on securing a deal before discussing Iran’s reconstruction. President Trump showed openness to extended peace talks and appeared unconcerned about domestic political pressures, despite the war’s unpopularity at home. Iranian officials believed they could outlast Trump, but he insisted he was not worried about the midterms, signaling determination to reach an agreement on his own terms.