The U.S. is pressing to hold direct nuclear talks with Iran, U.S. officials say, as the Trump administration seeks an ambitious goal: dismantling Tehran’s nuclear program. If Iran agreed to engage, the talks would be the first sustained direct negotiations between the two countries since President Trump withdrew from the previous nuclear agreement in 2018.

President Donald Trump is considering indirect nuclear talks with Iran, according to a report by Axios, which cited two unnamed U.S. officials, while also preparing the ground for military strikes. Trump and Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have exchanged letters in recent weeks.

Iran has faced suspicion for decades over its nuclear ambitions and whether it’s developing the capability to fire an atomic weapon.