Witkoff: Trump “Curious” Why Iran Has Not “Surrendered” Under U.S. Pressure
Tehran - BORNA - Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News that Trump has questioned why Tehran has not “surrendered,” despite what he described as a significant U.S. naval presence deployed in the region.
Witkoff stated: “The president asked me this question, and he — I don’t want to use the word ‘frustrated’ because he knows he has many options — but he is curious why they haven’t surrendered. I don’t want to use the word surrender, but why they haven’t. Why, under this level of pressure and with this amount of naval power there, haven’t they come to us and said, ‘We acknowledge that we don’t want a weapon. This is what we’re prepared to do’? And yet, getting them to that point is difficult.”
He added that Washington expects Iran to formally declare that it is not seeking a nuclear weapon and to outline concrete steps to prove it. Enrichment, he said, remains a U.S. red line.
Witkoff claimed that while Iranian officials say their nuclear program is peaceful, they have enriched uranium far beyond what is necessary. He further alleged that Iran could be as little as one week away from obtaining industrial-level bomb-making material.
He also revealed: “At President Trump’s direction, I met with the son of the former Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi. However, this is about President Trump’s policies, not Pahlavi.”
Witkoff’s remarks come as two rounds of U.S.–Iran negotiations continue over key points of contention, including the level of uranium enrichment, Iran’s missile program, and the scope of sanctions relief. Following talks in Geneva on Tuesday, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said the sides had agreed on “guiding principles,” although the White House noted that significant gaps remain. A U.S. official said Iran is expected to submit a written proposal in the coming days.
The U.S. presidential envoy also pledged that positive news regarding a Ukraine agreement could emerge in the coming weeks.
Talks among representatives of Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington on resolving the Ukraine conflict were held on February 17 and 18 in Geneva. Vladimir Medinsky led the Russian delegation at the negotiations. After the second day of talks, he described the discussions as difficult but productive and announced that another meeting would take place in the near future.
Witkoff also acknowledged that Vladimir Putin has always been honest in their meetings.
“He has always been straightforward with me,” Witkoff said in his Fox News interview.
The special envoy added that he has had up to eight conversations with Putin, noting that his meetings with the Russian president are becoming increasingly significant.
Regarding Gaza, Witkoff told Fox News: “Using the funds that Trump announced would be allocated to Gaza, housing and public transportation projects will be implemented. With this funding, we will also be able to clear debris and prepare Gaza for reconstruction.”
He further noted: “Kushner and I are optimistic about presenting proposals that could bring the Russians and Ukrainians together within the next three weeks. These proposals could lead to a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin and might evolve into a trilateral summit with Trump. Trump only wants to participate in a meeting if he sees the potential to achieve the best possible outcome.”
Witkoff reiterated: “The U.S. president will only attend a meeting if he believes there is a real chance of reaching the best result.”
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