Two US officials said the White House is seriously considering an Iranian proposal for indirect negotiations on a new nuclear agreement. At the same time, the White House is increasingly amassing US forces in the Middle East in preparation for US President Donald Trump's eventual decision to attack Iran, the Walla news website reported on Wednesday.

The debate is still raging in the White House between those who believe a new nuclear agreement is possible and those who believe that talks on it would be a waste of time and would push for an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. However, it is currently unclear under what circumstances Trump would decide to abandon diplomacy and order an attack, according to Walla.

A US official said that Trump received an official Iranian response late last week to the letter he sent to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei three weeks ago, in which he proposed direct negotiations. Meanwhile, the Iranians agreed to indirect talks mediated by Oman.

The US official added that the Trump administration believes the chances of success of direct talks are higher, but it has not ruled out the Iranian proposal and does not oppose Omani mediation, as it has practiced in the past.

According to the two US officials, no decision has been made and internal deliberations are ongoing. One of them said, "After exchanging messages, we are now exploring the next steps to initiate talks and build trust with the Iranians."

Last Saturday, during an interview with NBC, Trump threatened that "if they (the Iranians) don't make a deal, there will be bombing," and that he would punish Iran by imposing what he called "secondary tariffs."

For his part, Khamenei vowed on Monday to respond "firmly" if his country were attacked. Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani warned that a US attack on nuclear facilities would push the Iranian public to pressure the government to change its policy and develop a nuclear weapon.

It's worth noting that Trump, under the influence of the Israeli prime minister, withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018. However, a US official now says that Trump does not want to wage war on Iran, and believes that the mobilization of US forces aims to "establish deterrence in negotiations and prepare for an attack should negotiations fail and the situation escalate rapidly."