Monday, June 15, 2026
Vol. VIII
Est. 2019

The Mind Shield

News · Opinion · Politics · Analysis

Top Trump administration officials doubt Iran deal.

Top Trump administration officials doubt Iran deal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the State Department, Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington. Photo: Kevin Wolf/AP

Top officials in the Trump administration are reportedly doubting the memorandum of understanding signed between the administration and Iran, according to an Axios report.

Donald Trump announced Sunday that the US and Iran have reached a deal to end hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The new agreement was reportedly digitally signed by both countries on Monday.

There are few concrete details about the current agreement, since the administration hasn’t released the text, but the next round of negotiations will reportedly focus on Iran’s nuclear program and the possible release of frozen Iranian assets, which would allow the country to access $300 billion.

It is this next phase of the agreement that raises doubts among some of the top officials in the administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

During high-level meetings at the White House, Ratcliffe told Trump and other senior officials that evidence gathered by U.S. intelligence agencies raises serious doubts about Iran’s willingness to make the nuclear concessions the U.S. is seeking in any final deal, Axios reports. Hegseth and Rubio are also skeptical about Iran making concessions on their nuclear program.

Vice President J.D. Vance and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, meanwhile, advocated for the deal in these private meetings.

“President Trump listens to all opinions on any given issue — but everyone understands he is the final decision-maker,” a White House official said. “This MOU meets all of the redlines that the administration has long articulated by ensuring that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, they cannot keep their highly enriched uranium, and they cannot hold the world’s energy supply hostage.”