Can Trump and Iran Sign a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement?
“When Trump first put in “maximum pressure” back in 2018…the runway from maximum pressure to an actual conflict was much much longer than it is today because of the regional dynamics,” since today, as Parsi noted, “you already have a region that is essentially on the brink of explosion.” Those remarks were given by Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, in an X/Twitter Space panel exploring the likelihood that Trump and Iran genuinely can achieve a “Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement.” The discussion, held on February 10, came shortly after both U.S. and Iranian leaders made headlines with important remarks on diplomacy. On February 4, 2025, Trump signed a memorandum reimposing his “maximum pressure” policies, but did so in a notably reluctant manner, stating that “hopefully it will be a document which won’t be very important and will hardly have to be used.” Following this, Trump stated on his Truth Social account that “I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper. We should start working on it immediately…”. However, on February 7, 2025, Supreme Leader Khamenei responded indirectly to Trump’s rhetoric and pressure, downplaying the possibility