The letter sent by US President Donald Trump to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei included a two-month deadline for reaching a new nuclear deal, Axios reported on Wednesday citing one US official and two sources briefed on the letter.
The letter was "tough" in tone, the sources said, and combined an offer for negotiations with a warning of consequences should Iran reject the overture and advance its nuclear program.
This is in line with Trump's messaging in public, asserting that he's not looking for war and only wants to ensure Tehran does not acquire nuclear weapons.
He is not willing to wait for long, however, according to Axios, which quoted cited sources as saying the US president made clear in his letter to Khamenei that he opposed open-ended talks.
Khamenei in his first speech after the letter was arrived in Tehran said Iran has never had any intention to make a nuclear bomb, or it would have already.
Latest reports by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog (IAEA) draws a less convincing picture, expressing concern about Iran's stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium that the IAEA says cannot be justified outside a weapons program.
It's unclear when the reported deadline of two months kicks in---the day it was sent, received, or another date. Washington asserts the letter was dispatched on March 5; Tehran confirmed the receipt of letter a week later when a senior Emirati diplomat met Iran's foreign minister.
According to the Axios report, the White House briefed key US allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, about the contents of Trump's letter before it was sent.
Iran's foreign ministry has said that any response would be private, criticizing Washington for sending mixed signals.
The official line from Tehran so far is one of unwillingness to engage with the Trump administration as long as the so-called maximum pressure campaign is in place, imposing harsh sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
