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28 Oct 2026, 18:38

Axios: Pressure on Iran for Nuclear Concessions Ahead of Widespread Attacks Following U.S. Midterm Elections

According to three American, Israeli, and regional sources, regional mediators led by Qatar are working to reach a diplomatic agreement to resume negotiations between the U.S. and Iran and to prevent the resumption of war after the U.S. midterm elections. The Qataris are trying to convince Iran to allow UN inspectors to visit its bombed nuclear facilities in exchange for a reduction of some U.S. sanctions.

🔻Why It Matters:
If an agreement is not reached at the last moment, the onset of a new round of airstrikes shortly after the midterm elections seems likely. General Eyal Zamir, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, spoke with Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, on Monday to coordinate ahead of potential attacks.

▪️ According to American and Israeli officials, such operations are expected to involve a week of extensive strikes on targets related to Iranian leadership, the energy sector, nuclear facilities, and infrastructure.

🔻Trump's Remarks:
Donald Trump, the President of the United States, said in a brief interview with Axios on Wednesday that negotiations with Iran through intermediaries are ongoing, but emphasized that he does not know whether these negotiations will yield results.

▪️ Trump stated, "We have to finish the job; either through an agreement or in another way. We will see if the negotiations can succeed or not."

▪️ Abbas Araghchi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, wrote on social media platform X on Wednesday: "While our brave armed forces are fully prepared to defend the homeland, Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed."

🔻Behind the Scenes:
According to sources, mediation efforts led by Qatar, with support from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey, are underway.

▪️ Ali Al-Thawadi, the Qatari negotiator, traveled to Tehran earlier this week to discuss a potential agreement with Iranian officials regarding the Trump administration.

▪️ A regional source familiar with the negotiations said the Qataris have proposed ways to bridge the gap between the U.S. demand for Iran to relinquish its enriched uranium stockpiles and Iran's insistence on lifting the U.S. maritime blockade and releasing its frozen assets before any other actions.

▪️ This regional source and an American official stated that mediators are telling Iran that accepting these proposals may be the only way to prevent widespread attacks after the midterm elections.

▪️ Security officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan also reinforced this message during a recent trip to Tehran.

▪️ According to the regional source, the Iranians responded that they would seek the approval of Mojtaba Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, for these proposals in the coming days.

▪️ An American official stated that after the trip to Tehran, Saudi officials informed the White House that the Iranians are concerned about potential bombing operations by the U.S. and Israel following the midterm elections. The Saudis urged Trump not to rush into war and to give negotiations more time.

🔻More Details:
One of the ideas being discussed is a return to an agreement that Iran reached last year in Cairo with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

▪️ The September 2025 agreement allowed UN inspectors to resume visits to Iran's nuclear facilities. This agreement was suspended after the UN Security Council reinstated the so-called "snapback" sanctions against Iran a month later.

▪️ Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that reviving the Cairo agreement could provide a framework for resuming inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities that have been damaged in U.S. and Israeli attacks.

▪️ According to the regional source, if Iran agrees to allow UN inspectors to visit its nuclear facilities, it may receive exemptions for oil sales, and some of its frozen assets could be released for purchasing food and other humanitarian goods.

▪️ This source said, "Movements are underway. We are waiting for Iran's response." He added, "The idea is that the Iranians can say they have not relinquished their enriched uranium from the very beginning, and the U.S. can also say it has obtained concessions from Iran regarding nuclear issues."

🔻Opposing Position:
According to the regional source, the White House has told mediators that it will announce its position on the proposed agreement once it is clear whether Iran accepts the proposal.

▪️ According to American officials, Trump discussed Iran with Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, and Steve Witkoff, White House envoy, during a trip to Texas on Tuesday aboard the presidential jet. He also addressed the issue of Iran with his national security team during his intelligence briefing on Wednesday.

▪️ A White House official said, "As the President has stated, they have been systematically destroyed both militarily and financially, and if they do not change their behavior quickly, we will finish the job soon."

▪️ This official added, "The U.S. is in a very powerful position, controlling the Strait of Hormuz and with Iran's economy collapsing. Iran is severely crushed, and any conflict in Iran will end very soon."
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