U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is open to discussing the possibility of easing sanctions on Iran, indicating a potential shift in Washington’s hardline stance toward Tehran.

Speaking at a dinner with Central Asian leaders on Thursday, Trump revealed that Iran had asked whether the sanctions could be lifted.

“Frankly, Iran has been asking if the sanctions could be lifted. Iran has got very heavy U.S. sanctions, and it makes it really hard,” Trump said. “I’m open to hearing that, and we’ll see what happens, but I would be open to it,” he added.

Sanctions and nuclear dispute

Western nations, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, while Tehran insists its nuclear program is solely for peaceful energy purposes.

The sanctions — reinstated after Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord in 2018 — have severely constrained Iran’s economy, targeting sectors linked to nuclear and ballistic missile development.

In September, the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Tehran under the “snapback” mechanism after Britain, France, and Germany triggered the process.

Fallout of Iran-Israel conflict

Trump’s comments come months after a 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which also drew limited U.S. military involvement targeting Iranian nuclear sites. The conflict in mid-June derailed ongoing nuclear negotiations that had started in April between Tehran and Washington.

Trump asserted that the strikes had obliterated much of Iran’s nuclear capability, though independent assessments of the damage remain unclear.

“Iran used to be the bully of the Middle East,” Trump said, adding that the country no longer had the “possibility of nuclear weapons.”

Oman — which has previously hosted back-channel talks between the United States and Iran — has urged both nations to return to the negotiation table. Diplomats from Muscat say a renewed agreement could focus on limiting Iran’s nuclear activity in exchange for partial sanctions relief.