TEHRAN – President Donald Trump’s special West Asia envoy Steve Witkoff has thwarted hopes for a potential breakthrough in indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington ahead of the fourth round of discussion.
The statement shocked observers who began to believe Trump was serious about reaching a deal with Iran after unraveling the original in 2018.
In an interview released Friday, Witkov said the enrichment programme “will never exist in the Iranian province again.”
“It’s our red line. There’s no enrichment. It means demolition, weaponization, Natantz, Fordau, Isfahan, those are three enrichment facilities and they have to be demolition,” he said.
Witkov added that while he believes Iranians are “no choice,” he will accept Trump’s stance on enrichment. “Obviously they can say no and test President Trump, but I think that’s not wise.”
Americans are about to cast Iran’s decision to enter negotiations as a direct result of the raucous threat levelled against it in the past few months. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has said many times that if the country does not agree to sign a new nuclear deal based on his terms, he will “bomb” Iran.
However, as the Tehran Times previously revealed, Tehran agreed to engage in the meeting after Trump said in a letter in March to the leaders of the Islamic Revolution and said he respected Ali Kamenei that he would respect Iran’s red line if he sat at the negotiation table. Apart from the fact that it will never dismantle its nuclear program, Iran has long said it will not consider limiting its military capabilities or changing its foreign policy.
Ayatollah Khamenei said he did not believe in the integrity of the US part, citing his lack of commitment to the deal he signed in 2015 by Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama signed to him before talks via Oman began in April.
Sources familiar with the issue told the Tehran Times that Iran had suspected from the start that the Trump administration letter was a move intended simply to direct Iran to negotiations, and could then provide justifications that escalate pressure and potential aggression. Witkoff’s latest statement only strengthens the suspicion, sources added. However, the second source said Iran is prepared for all scenarios.
Indirect US-Iran nuclear negotiations have so far taken place in Muscat and Rome on April 12, 19 and 26, with both sides characterizing the discussion as “positive” and “advanced.” Muscat had a fourth round scheduled for May 3, but it was postponed and later scheduled for May 11.