RFE
16 Feb 2026

Ahead of new talks with the United States, Iran has floated possible investment opportunities in its lucrative oil and gas industry to entice President Donald Trump into a new nuclear deal that would lift crippling US economic sanctions on Tehran.

Iranian and US negotiators are scheduled to meet in Geneva on February 17 over a deal aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program and preventing war as Washington continues to bolster its military presence in the Middle East.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Hamid Qanbari said on February 15 that potential energy, mining, and aircraft deals were on the table in talks with the United States.

"For an agreement to be sustainable, it is essential that the United States can also benefit in sectors with high and rapid economic returns," Qanbari told the Iran Chamber of Commerce.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi used a similar strategy in April 2025 when hepitchedIran's sanctions-hit economy as a "trillion-dollar" investment opportunity amid negotiations with Washington. But just weeks later, the United States joined Israel's bombing campaign against Iran, striking three key nuclear sites.

Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, said there is a critical mismatch between Iran's economic incentives and Trump's approach to foreign policy.

Speaking to RFE/RL's Radio Farda, he said Trump is not particularly interested in US companies investing abroad. Instead, he prefers foreign money flowing into the United States -- like when Arab states in the Persian Gulfpledgedlarge investments in the US economy last year.

"Iran tried to play this card last year as well, but it showed that it does not fully understand Trump's style," he said. "Using economic investment as leverage might be appealing to [Trump], but not in the way the Islamic republic has approached it."

Iran's new pitch comes amid reports that the United States and Israel have agreed to increase their economic pressure on Tehran, especially by tightening the noose on its energy sales to China, which purchases nearly 80 percent of Iran's oil exports.