WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with NBC News’ "Meet the Press" that he would not unfreeze Iranian assets or lift any sanctions before a peace deal is reached.Trump said he would consider those steps after an agreement is done. "Comes after," he said. "Yeah. If they behave, if they do a good job, we start talking. Yeah."Trump also said that he was not demanding that Lebanon be a part of a short-term deal with Tehran."I think they'd like to see it, but I'm not demanding," Trump said in the interview recorded on Friday.U.S. and Israeli forces began strikes on Iran on February 28. The Trump administration has been trying to negotiate a potential peace deal for weeks. "We're very close to a deal, or I'm going to blow the hell out of them," Trump told NBC News.The president also said he would be willing to speak with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since being wounded in U.S. strikes at the beginning of the conflict."I don't want to say whether or not I know where he is, but there's a good probability that I do," Trump said.Top Trump administration officials such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio insist a temporary ceasefire agreement has been holding up despite recent U.S. strikes on Iran, telling lawmakers last week those are defensive actions.
Donald Trump says he would not unfreeze Iran's assets ahead before deal is done
President Donald Trump stated he will not release Iranian funds or remove sanctions until a peace agreement is finalized. These actions will only be considered after a deal is completed. Trump also indicated that Lebanon is not a requirement for any short-term accord with Tehran. He mentioned these steps would follow if Iran behaves and performs well.
Trump ties unfreezing Iranian assets to a final peace deal, conditioning any sanctions relief on verified Iranian compliance. For tech managers, this prolongs MENA uncertainty, complicating supply-chain hedging and investment decisions in geopolitically sensitive sectors.










