President Donald Trump has intensified behind-the-scenes diplomacy on Iran, dispatching two of his closest envoys—Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner—to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee for a classified meeting with nuclear experts, according to Romanian daily *Adevărul* . The visit, confirmed by multiple regional outlets, signals a renewed push to resolve frozen assets and sanctions that have stalled negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
The move comes as Iran’s military adviser Mohsen Rezaei publicly warned that any deal hinges on Washington’s willingness to release half of Iran’s frozen foreign assets immediately upon signing a memorandum of understanding, with the remainder to be unfrozen within two months . Rezaei, a senior figure under Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, told AFP that the impasse stems from the U.S. refusal to lift sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy for decades .
Trump, meanwhile, has struck a defiant tone, telling NBC News on Friday that Iran’s missile arsenal has been reduced to just 21–22 operational systems after three months of conflict in the Middle East . He claimed the U.S. is making “great success” in its indirect talks with Tehran, brokered by Pakistan, though no formal agreement has been reached .
The White House is also reshaping U.S. intelligence and defense policy. Trump has asked the incoming acting director of national intelligence to “gut” the agency, according to *Politico*, which cited an interview with *The Wall Street Journal* . The president named Bill Pulte, a loyalist with no intelligence experience, to the role temporarily and urged him to cut staffing at the office that coordinates interagency intelligence sharing .
On Friday, Trump signed a memorandum accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence within the national security apparatus, directing the Pentagon and intelligence community to deploy advanced AI systems while ensuring they remain under constitutional control . The White House also confirmed discussions about taking equity stakes in AI firms, a move analysts say could reshape the sector .
Elsewhere, Trump’s push to deploy 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland has triggered bureaucratic chaos at the Pentagon, with officials awaiting guidance on how to implement the order amid concerns over billions in potential costs . Meanwhile, Macron is reportedly wooing Trump with a private dinner at Versailles or a round of golf to secure his attendance at the G7 summit in Paris later this month .
With Iran demanding immediate asset releases, Trump demanding intelligence cuts, and Europe scrambling to adapt, the administration’s Iran strategy—like its broader foreign policy—remains a work in progress.