Newsletters
US envoy Steve Witkoff said Saturday that President Donald Trump is questioning why Iran has not “capitulated” in the face of Washington’s expanding military buildup, as the two sides resumed indirect nuclear talks aimed at avoiding armed conflict.
The United States and Iran this week restarted Oman-mediated negotiations in Geneva after Washington deployed two aircraft carriers, fighter jets and additional weaponry to the region to reinforce its warnings to Tehran.
In an interview with Fox News, Witkoff said Trump remains puzzled by Iran’s resistance despite mounting military pressure.
“I don’t want to use the word ‘frustrated,’ because he understands he has plenty of alternatives, but he’s curious as to why they haven’t, I don’t want to use the word ‘capitulated’, but why they haven’t capitulated,” Witkoff said.
He added that Trump is questioning why Iran has not offered concrete steps to reassure Washington.
“Why, under this pressure, with the amount of seapower and naval power over there, why haven’t they come to us and said, ‘We profess we don’t want a weapon, so here’s what we’re prepared to do’?” Witkoff said. “And yet it’s sort of hard to get them to that place.”
Witkoff also confirmed that he met with Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s last shah, who has lived in exile since before the 1979 Revolution.
“I met him at the direction of the president,” Witkoff said, without providing further details.
Pahlavi last week told an audience in Munich that he was ready to lead Iran toward a “secular democratic future,” comments that followed Trump’s public suggestion that regime change might be preferable for the country.
Witkoff’s remarks came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a draft proposal for a potential agreement with Washington would be ready within days.
Trump said Thursday that Iran has no more than 15 days to reach a deal addressing concerns over its nuclear program.
As talks continued in Geneva, Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said Tuesday that Trump would not succeed in destroying the Islamic Republic.
Western governments accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, allegations Tehran denies. Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes and that it has a right to uranium enrichment.
Iran is seeking relief from sweeping US-led sanctions, which have placed heavy strain on its economy and contributed to anti-government protests that erupted in December.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
