US intel pessimistic on Iran's willingness to make nuclear concessions
Intelligence gathered by U.S. agencies presents a pessimistic outlook on whether the Iranian regime will ultimately agree to nuclear concessions sought by the Trump administration during detailed negotiations set to take place in the coming weeks, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
The findings, which are largely based on signals intelligence gathered from senior Iranian officials, were presented to the president and other members of his cabinet by CIA Director John Ratcliffe in the days before the memorandum of understanding with Iran was electronically signed, they said.
Israel has also shared intelligence with the U.S. that suggests Iran will not agree to a final deal the Trump administration would deem acceptable, but it’s unclear whether the president was briefed on those findings, one official said.
The findings of the U.S. agencies appeared to deepen skepticism among the more hawkish members of the president’s cabinet, including Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the officials said, adding that they have also privately expressed doubt Iran will comply even with the terms included in the memorandum of understanding.
-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingson and Cindy Smith
