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John Ratcliffe, director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), informed President Donald Trump and other senior officials that intelligence gathered by various U.S. agencies raises serious doubts about Iran's willingness to make the nuclear concessions Washington demands in a final agreement, according to three sources familiar with those discussions revealed to Axios.
Ratcliffe's skepticism arises days after the U.S. and Iran announced last Sunday a 14-point memorandum of understanding, the full text of which has not yet been published, and which is intended to extend the ceasefire and initiate 60 days of negotiations aimed at reaching a definitive nuclear agreement.
The analyzed intelligence shows that Iranian officials discuss the agreement among themselves inconsistently with what they convey to the mediators and to the U.S.
The intelligence indicates that Iran's intentions are not aligned with its commitments under the agreement, noted an anonymous source familiar with the internal discussions.
Ratcliffe is not the only skeptic within Trump's team. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also raised concerns about the memorandum in internal discussions, while Vice President JD Vance and aides Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner defended it, according to two sources.
The White House responded cautiously: "President Trump listens to all opinions on any matter, but everyone understands that he is the final decision-maker," said a White House official, who added that the memorandum "meets all the red lines that the administration has articulated for a long time."
Internal critics of the agreement argue that Iran will gain more than it concedes under the memorandum, unless it signs a nuclear deal on U.S. terms.
Among the most controversial points is the release of frozen Iranian funds, which the memorandum refers to in ambiguous terms, and the creation of a 300 billion dollar fund for the reconstruction and economic development of Iran, contingent upon Tehran dismantling its nuclear program.
In the immediate plan, the memorandum outlines the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz: Iran will ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels free of charge for 60 days, while the U.S. will gradually lift its naval blockade over 30 days.
A senior U.S. official indicated that in two to three weeks it will be known whether Iran is serious about nuclear concessions; if not, the process could stop without Tehran gaining any significant benefits.
This Monday, Trump stated that Iran agreed to never have a nuclear weapon, although the final terms are not yet settled.
The agreement comes after months of tension: the armed conflict between the U.S. and Iran began on February 28, 2026, with coordinated attacks from Washington and Israel, and previous negotiations in Islamabad failed in April due to disagreement over the duration of the moratorium on uranium enrichment.
The Republican senator Lindsey Graham summarized the ongoing concerns: "I am somewhat worried because the Iranian perspective on the agreement seems different from what the U.S. negotiating team is claiming," he stated to Axios, while demanding the immediate release of the document.
Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner are scheduled to meet this Friday with the President of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, and the Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss the next phase of the negotiations.
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