NEW YORK, August 4. /TASS/. Some US officials doubt that a nuclear deal with Iran can be reached, The New York Times reported, citing sources.

According to the newspaper, some officials are skeptical that there will be a nuclear accord, arguing that US President Donald Trump could instead declare, as he has suggested previously, that Iran’s nuclear stockpiles should remain buried beneath the rubble left by strikes on three nuclear facilities in June 2025.

After Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding, Trump and Vice President JD Vance said that a nuclear agreement would be negotiated within 60 days, the paper notes. However, "that deadline would run out in two weeks, and officials now concede that any negotiations, if they get started, will extend far into the fall, and perhaps beyond."

The United States is demanding that Iran’s nuclear fuel "be diluted, so that it is not easily converted for use in weapons, and ultimately shipped to the United States or another nation where it can be disposed of or used in nuclear power plants," The New York Times points out.

The US and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon. However, the United States resumed large-scale airstrikes on Iran early on July 8, accusing Tehran of violating previous agreements on the Strait of Hormuz.