The report said CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed Trump and senior administration officials that intelligence gathered by multiple US agencies had cast doubt on Tehran s intentions during ongoing negotiations.
According to Axios, Trump and his advisers held several high-level meetings before announcing the initial framework agreement on Sunday, reviewing intelligence assessments that suggested Iranian officials were privately discussing terms that differed from the positions they were presenting to mediators and US negotiators.
"The intelligence reflects that the Iranian intentions are not in line with their commitments under the deal," a source familiar with the matter told Axios.
Despite the concerns, a White House official said Trump remained confident that the memorandum of understanding met key US objectives, including preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, retaining highly enriched uranium, or threatening global energy supplies.
The report said the nuclear provisions of the framework depend on reaching a more comprehensive agreement within the next 60 days, although the negotiation period can be extended by mutual consent.
Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and former adviser Jared Kushner are expected to meet Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday, alongside Pakistani and Qatari mediators, to discuss the next stage of negotiations.
According to Axios, the full 14-point framework agreement has not yet been made public. The arrangement is designed to preserve the ceasefire and create a pathway for detailed talks on Iran s nuclear programme.
Sources familiar with the negotiations said discussions would focus on the future of Iran s stockpile of enriched material, enrichment activities and other nuclear-related issues within a framework to be determined in a final agreement.
During the negotiation period, Iran would maintain the current status of its nuclear programme, while the United States would refrain from imposing new sanctions or deploying additional military forces to the region.
Axios reported that if a final nuclear deal is reached, Washington would begin withdrawing forces mobilised during the conflict within 30 days and gradually lift sanctions according to an agreed timetable.
However, some officials inside the US administration remain sceptical, believing Iran may be unwilling to accept US conditions on its nuclear programme and could benefit more from the interim arrangement than Washington.
Senior US officials told reporters that any economic benefits for Iran would depend on concrete actions by Tehran. One official said the United States would know within two to three weeks whether Iran was genuinely prepared to make nuclear concessions.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also expressed concern, saying Iran s public interpretation of the agreement appeared different from the description provided by US negotiators. He called for the immediate publication of the document.
The framework reportedly also includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran expected to facilitate safe commercial shipping without charges for 60 days, while the United States would gradually ease its naval blockade.
Axios added that the release of Iran s frozen assets remains one of the most disputed issues in the negotiations, with US officials describing the process as a "pay-for-performance" model tied to Iranian compliance.
The report further stated that any final agreement could include a proposed $300 billion reconstruction and economic development fund for Iran, alongside a mechanism governing its implementation.
