As high-stakes nuclear negotiations resume in Geneva, Iran is reportedly attempting to leverage President Donald Trump’s business background by presenting potential investment opportunities in its energy sector. According to Financial Times sources, Tehran believes offering substantial financial returns could appeal to Trump’s deal-making instincts and create diplomatic breakthroughs.
The proposed economic incentives, described by insiders as ‘a major economic bonanza,’ specifically target Trump’s business sensibilities with offers in oil and gas development, mining rights, and critical minerals. This unconventional diplomatic approach emerges as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi prepares to meet with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for the third round of talks amid escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear activities.
US officials have responded cautiously, with a senior administration official stating that no formal commercial offer has been presented to Washington. ‘President Trump has been clear that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon or the capacity to build one,’ the official emphasized, maintaining the administration’s consistent position on non-proliferation.
Sources indicate Iran is studying Venezuela’s situation as a potential model, referencing Trump’s promise to open Venezuela’s oil industry to US companies following President Nicolas Maduro’s removal. Meanwhile, Iran has reportedly presented a proposal through Omani mediators designed to test US diplomatic sincerity. Iranian state media IRNA suggested that rejecting the proposal would ‘confirm the initial suspicion that the United States is not genuinely committed to diplomacy.’
The economic overtures coincide with new US sanctions targeting over 30 individuals and entities allegedly enabling Iran’s illicit petroleum sales and weapons programs. Iranian officials have consistently denied developing nuclear weapons, with President Masoud Pezeshkian referencing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s long-standing ban on weapons of mass destruction dating back to the early 2000s.