This article covers relations between Iran and the United States during the

second presidency of Donald Trump Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon Second inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration as the List of presidents of the United States, 47th president on January 20, 2025. On his first ...

State of Iran-U.S. relations in January 2025

Iran and Iran-backed groups

By early 2025, Iran's regional influence significantly declined, after setbacks among its proxies and allies. Its proxies—

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

, and the

Houthis The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Zaydism, Zaydi Shia Islamism, Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shias, with their namesake leadersh ...

—suffered major setbacks following the

October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel On October 7, 2023, Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launched coordinated armed incursions from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza envelope of southern Israel, the first invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 Arab–Israeli ...

and the subsequent conflicts. The collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria critically disrupted Iranian supply routes, severely impacting Hamas and Hezbollah.

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, Iran's key ally, struggled to provide support as its prolonged war in Ukraine drained resources, further weakening the regional influence of the Iran-led axis. During Trump's first term (2017–2021), the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and imposed maximum-pressure sanctions, severely restricting Iran's oil exports and financial access. His administration sought to renegotiate the deal to impose stricter limits on

Iran's nuclear program The Nuclear technology, nuclear program of Iran is one of the most scrutinized nuclear programs in the world. The military capabilities of the program are possible through its mass Enriched uranium, enrichment activities in facilities such a ...

and curb its funding of regional proxies but failed to reach a new agreement. Under Biden (2021–2025), Iran's economy remained strained, though sanctions enforcement fluctuated. By early 2025, inflation soared, the currency collapsed, and domestic unrest intensified as Iran faced economic isolation while advancing its nuclear program. Iran's uniquely weakened position now presents a rare opportunity for the United States to reshape the region. During his first term, Trump abandoned the JCPOA in hopes of forging a tougher deal that would impose stricter limits on Iran's nuclear program and its proxy funding—a move that ultimately failed. Many analysts argue that had the original deal remained intact, it could have paved the way for regional stability and a structured U.S. withdrawal, reducing America's long-term military footprint. Now, with his second term just beginning, the stakes are high. If decisive steps are taken to secure a new comprehensive agreement, Iran's ambitions could be reined in, fostering stability and paving the way for an orderly exit of American forces. Conversely, without such bold action, there is a significant risk that U.S. troops could remain entrenched in the Middle East for decades to come. Elon Musk met with Iran's UN Ambassador, Saeid Iravani, on November 11, 2024. In January 2025, Elon Musk reportedly helped Italy's prime minister

Giorgia Meloni Giorgia Meloni (; born 15 January 1977) is an Italian politician who has served as Prime Minister of Italy since 2022. She is the first woman to hold the office. A member of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy), Chamber of Deputies since 2006, s ...

secure the release of Italian citizen Cecila Sala from an Iranian prison.

Maximum pressure campaign

In February 2025, President Donald Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum reinstating the "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, aiming to compel

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

to negotiate a new nuclear agreement while preventing its development of

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...

s and countering its regional influence. The memorandum mandates heightened

economic sanctions Economic sanctions or embargoes are Commerce, commercial and Finance, financial penalties applied by states or institutions against states, groups, or individuals. Economic sanctions are a form of Coercion (international relations), coercion tha ...

targeting Iran's oil exports, with the objective of reducing them to zero, and directs the revocation of existing sanctions waivers. Trump stated he would rather make a deal than take military action against Iran, framing the pressure campaign as a means to force diplomacy. This policy has led to significant economic challenges within Iran, including a sharp currency depreciation and political instability, as evidenced by the resignation of key officials such as Vice President Mohammad

Javad Zarif Mohammad Javad Zarif (; born 8 January 1960) is an Iranian career diplomat and academic. He served as the vice president for strategic affairs from August 2024 to March 2025.Abdolnaser Hemmati. While proponents argue that these measures are necessary to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and support for militant groups, critics contend that the campaign exacerbates humanitarian issues and regional tensions without effectively altering Iran's strategic behavior. The White House - 54436540212

In March 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that he sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Ali Hosseini Khamenei (; born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third president from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei's tenure as Supreme Leader, ...

, urging negotiations for a new nuclear agreement to replace the 2015 deal from which he withdrew in 2018. Emphasizing a preference for diplomacy, Trump warned of potential military action should negotiations fail. Iran officially responded to Trump's letter via

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

on March 26, rejecting direct talks under pressure but leaving the door open to indirect negotiations. Days later the U.S. deployed four B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to

Diego Garcia Diego Garcia is the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago. It has been used as a joint UK–U.S. military base since the 1970s, following the expulsion of the Chagossians by the UK government. The Chagos Islands are set to become a former B ...

—over 20% of the total B-2 fleet. Though officially aimed at deterring Iran-backed

Houthi The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Zaydi Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shias, with their namesake leadership being drawn largely ...

rebels in Yemen, some analysts suggest the scale and capabilities of the deployment point to preparations for a potential strike on hardened Iranian nuclear targets like Fordow or

Natanz Natanz () is a city in the Central District of Natanz County, Isfahan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is south-east of Kashan. Demographics Population At the time of the 2006 National Census, th ...

, possibly in coordination with

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. On March 30, President Trump escalated pressure by threatening bombing “the likes of which ran hasnever seen” and warning of secondary tariffs. The deployment and rhetoric are widely seen as part of a calculated pressure campaign to force Tehran back to the table, as Iran's uranium enrichment levels continue to exceed the limits set by the original 2015 accord. On April 25, 2025, Trump said he would not let Netanyahu drag him into a war with Iran and was interested in meeting with Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but threatened a joint Israeli-US military operation to thwart Iran's nuclear program if diplomacy failed.

Iran–backed Houthis in Yemen

On March 15, 2025, the U.S. launched airstrikes on

targets in Yemen to counter attacks on Red Sea shipping. President Trump stated the strikes aimed to restore navigation freedom and deter further aggression. The Houthi-run health ministry reported 31 deaths and over 100 injuries. The Iran-backed group vowed to continue targeting vessels until Israel lifted its Gaza blockade. Trump warned of further action, urging Iran to withdraw support. In March 2025, the Trump administration accidentally included ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'' editor

Jeffrey Goldberg Jeffrey Mark Goldberg (born 1965) is an American journalist who is the editor-in-chief of ''The Atlantic''. During his nine years at ''The Atlantic'' before becoming editor, Goldberg became known for his coverage of foreign affairs. He moderated ...

in a

Signal A signal is both the process and the result of transmission of data over some media accomplished by embedding some variation. Signals are important in multiple subject fields including signal processing, information theory and biology. In ...

group chat discussing classified military plans to strike Houthi targets in Yemen. The chat involved top officials including Vice President

JD Vance James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman, August2, 1984) is an American politician, author, attorney, and Marine Corps veteran who is the 50th vice president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republic ...

and Defense Secretary

Pete Hegseth Peter Brian Hegseth (born June 6, 1980) is an American author, former television presenter, and former Army National Guard officer who has served as the 29th United States secretary of defense since 2025. Hegseth studied politics at Princeton ...

. The leak, dubbed “

Signalgate From March 11 to 15, 2025, a group of United States national security leaders conversed on a group chat using the messaging service Signal about imminent military operations against the Houthis in Yemen code-named Operation Rough Rider. Among ...

,” sparked bipartisan outrage and serious concerns over national security and operational discipline. President Trump dismissed the incident as a minor error, but critics called it a major intelligence failure.

Iran–Israel war

In March 2025, US

Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a Cabinet of the United States#Current Cabinet and Cabinet-rank officials, cabinet-level Federal government of the United States, United States government intelligence and security official. The p ...

Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard (; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician and military officer serving as the director of National Intelligence, director of national intelligence (DNI) since 2025. She has held the rank of Lieutenant colonel (United Stat ...

, testified that the

US intelligence community The United States Intelligence Community (IC) is a group of separate US federal government, U.S. federal government intelligence agencies and subordinate organizations that work to conduct Intelligence assessment, intelligence activities which ...

, "continues to assess Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized a nuclear weapons program". In April 2025, Trump announced negotiations between the US and Iran regarding Iran's nuclear program. The White House declared that Iran had two months to secure a deal, which expired the day before Israel's strikes. On June 13, 2025, President Trump praised the Israeli strikes on Iran as "excellent" and "very successful," and warned that Iran must "make a deal now" over its nuclear program or face "even more destructive and deadly military action." Trump authorized US forces to assist in intercepting the initial Iranian missile barrage. The US warned Iran against attacking American interests or personnel, emphasizing it would respond militarily if such attacks occurred. On June 17, Trump stated that a "real end" was better than a ceasefire. He then demanded unconditional surrender by Iran. Trump also threatened Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei saying that he is an "easy target" and could assassinate him at any moment. The threat came two days after it was reported that Trump allegedly vetoed a plan by Israel to assassinate the ayatollah. Some supporters of Trump in the United States have criticized Trump's support for Israeli strikes against Iran, and the possible involvement of the United States in the war. In a poll of Trump voters, 53% said the U.S. should not get involved in the Iran–Israel conflict. On June 19, 2025, the White House said that Trump would decide "within two weeks" whether to join Israel's war against Iran. Trump's special envoy

Steve Witkoff Steven Charles Witkoff (born March 15, 1957) is an American real estate investor and lawyer who has served as the Ambassadors of the United States#Special envoys, representatives, and coordinators, United States Special Envoy to the Middle East ...

and Iranian Foreign Minister

Abbas Araghchi Sayyid Abbas Araghchi (, ; also spelled Araqchi, born 5 December 1962) is an Iranian diplomat and politician, who is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran since August 2024. He previously served as the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign A ...

have spoken by phone several times since the start of the Israeli strikes on Iran.

United States strikes on Iranian nuclear sites

On June 22, 2025, the U.S. launched direct strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

References

{{Second presidency of Donald Trump 2000s in international relations Articles containing video clips Iran–United States relations Second presidency of Donald Trump

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Bilateral relations of the United States