President Donald Trump said the United States is very close to reaching a nuclear deal with Iran [1].
The potential agreement represents a critical shift in regional security, as the U.S. seeks to prevent Iran from developing nuclear capabilities through a new framework of commitments.
Speaking in Washington, D.C., during a meeting with the U.S. national-security team, Trump said that the administration is pushing for stricter nuclear terms before finalizing any deal [1, 3]. These demands include an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolution requiring detailed information on Iran’s uranium supplies [1, 4].
Trump said the U.S. cannot accept any risk regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions. Specifically, he said the U.S. would not tolerate even a 1% chance that Iran obtains a nuclear weapon [1]. This zero-tolerance stance is the primary driver behind the administration's push for tougher verification and commitment measures [1, 2].
While the president described the parties as being very close to an agreement, other reports indicate a more complex situation. A report from Reuters on May 28, 2026, noted that the room for maneuver is narrowing as the U.S. and Iran approach a framework deal, though it did not use the president's specific phrasing regarding how close the parties are [3].
The administration's current strategy focuses on ensuring that any deal is verifiable and permanent. By demanding an IAEA resolution, the U.S. aims to create a legal and technical barrier against future clandestine nuclear activity in Tehran [1, 4].
“The U.S. would not tolerate even a 1% chance that Iran obtains a nuclear weapon”
The insistence on a 1% risk threshold and a formal IAEA resolution suggests the U.S. is moving away from the flexible frameworks of previous agreements in favor of a rigid, verification-heavy model. If Iran accepts these stricter terms, it could stabilize regional tensions, but the demand for detailed uranium data remains a significant diplomatic hurdle that could stall the final signing.
