Iran needs to end its uranium enrichment and abolish its weapons programs if it wants to achieve a diplomatic agreement, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday.
“Any final arrangement must set a framework for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East – meaning that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program,” Witkoff wrote in an X/Twitter post.
He emphasized that the agreement with Iran would only be possible if it were conducted by President Trump.
Witkoff also noted that the creation of a deal would be beneficial on a global scale.
“It is imperative for the world that we create a tough, fair deal that will endure, and that is what President Trump has asked me to do,” his statement concluded.
“A deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a Trump deal. Any final arrangement must set a framework for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East — meaning that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program. It is imperative for…
— Office of the Special Envoy to the Middle East (@SE_MiddleEast) April 15, 2025
Witkoff further detailed the diplomatic agreement with Iran.
“This is going to be much about verification on the enrichment program, and then ultimately verification on weaponization. That includes missiles, the type of missiles that they have stockpiled there, and it includes the trigger for a bomb,” Witkoff said in an interview on Fox News’s Hannity show.
US-Iran nuclear talks
Witkoff, who serves as the US representative in nuclear talks with Iran’s foreign minister, told Fox News, “Iran must not possess nuclear weapons, and it should not enrich uranium beyond 3.67%.”
This is a significant statement, as it is considerably more lenient than the Israeli demand – publicly voiced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – which calls for the “Libyan model,” meaning the complete physical dismantling of Iran’s military nuclear facilities.
“Iran should not have nuclear weapons. This can be achieved through an agreement – but only if it’s a Libya-style agreement,” said Netanyahu following his meeting with President Trump last Monday.
“That means going in, blowing up the facilities, and dismantling all the equipment – under American supervision and executed by the US.”
Last week, the Post reported that the US administration would allow Iran to retain a civilian nuclear program, even as part of a nuclear agreement.
“Trump said Iran will not have nuclear weapons. Military nuclear facilities – no. Civilian nuclear program – yes,” said a source familiar with the details of the Netanyahu-Trump meeting.
Israeli, European concern that Trump may settle for a lacking deal
In recent days, amid questions regarding Trump’s stance, Israeli officials and European diplomats have expressed concern that Trump may settle for a nuclear deal that doesn’t genuinely prevent Iran from advancing toward nuclear weapons, should it decide to do so.
“Our concern is that the administration’s position will ultimately be weak,” Israeli officials told the Post.
“This is the Obama JCPOA – repackaged,” Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told the Post.
“Did we really leave it in 2018 just to return to it in 2025 – especially now, when we have maximum leverage? I’m curious how this version avoids the same fatal flaws that made the 2015 deal so dangerous.”
Witkoff added in his Fox interview that there must be oversight on armament issues, including missiles, the types Iran has accumulated, and even the activation mechanisms of a nuclear bomb.
Iran has previously refused to agree to such demands.
“In principle, the original nuclear deal can be improved – for example, by extending its duration (removing the sunset clause on the reimposition of sanctions) and by enhancing the International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspection mechanisms.”
However, according to Dr. Raz Zimmt, senior researcher and Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), “the progress Iran has made, especially in advanced enrichment (higher levels and advanced centrifuges), including in knowledge, technology, and R&D, cannot be undone.
Therefore, it is difficult to envision a significantly improved agreement compared to 2015 – especially in terms of the breakout time to a bomb, which was then about a year.”
Iranian opposition, wariness
According to The Guardian, Iran is expected to oppose the US proposal in the nuclear talks to transfer its enriched uranium stockpile to a third country. The report states that Tehran insists its enriched uranium must remain in Iran “under strict supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency.”
On Saturday, the parties are expected to reconvene in Oman to continue negotiations. This week, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is also scheduled to visit Tehran.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sought on Tuesday to downplay expectations of a breakthrough in nuclear talks with the US, following stirrings of hope among some Iranians weary of economic hardships that have at times sparked public unrest.
Failure to reach a deal with Trump to end Iran’s decades-long dispute with the West could profoundly hurt the Islamic Republic, Iranian politicians and insiders have said, even if Washington is subsequently portrayed by Tehran as the guilty party.
After last weekend’s US-Iran talks in Oman, which both sides described as positive, Iranian expectations of economic relief have soared, according to Iranians reached by telephone and by messages on their social media.Iran’s battered rial currency has gained some 20% against the dollar in the past few days, with many Iranians hoping a deal to end Iran’s economic isolation may be within reach.
“We are neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic regarding them. After all, it is a process which was decided, and its first steps have been well implemented,” Khamenei said in a meeting with officials, according to state media.Iran’s clerical rulers have publicly said that demands such as dismantling the country’s peaceful nuclear program or its conventional missile capabilities were off the table.
Tehran has approached the talks warily, doubting the likelihood of an agreement and suspicious of Trump, who abandoned Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with six world powers during his first term in 2018. He has repeatedly threatened to use military force if there is no deal.
“From here on, it (the talks) must be followed through carefully, with red lines clearly defined for both the other side and for us. The negotiations may lead to results, or they may not,” said Khamenei. “Avoid linking the country’s fate to these talks.”
Some Iranian officials have suggested that Trump’s business background could make him more receptive to a deal if it includes economic incentives, such as a potential purchase of US-made planes or unlocking of Iran’s economy for US investors.
But a number of Iranian newspapers have warned about inflating public expectations with “baseless hype.”
“Why do you make promises about the talks that cannot be fulfilled? Don’t undermine public trust with promises made only for fleeting media attention,” wrote the Khorasan newspaper on Monday in response to comments by an official that raised hopes of economic breakthroughs from the talks.
Since relations with Washington collapsed after Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the US-backed Shah, enmity toward the US has been a rallying point for Iran’s rulers.
But inflation, unemployment, and lack of investment as a result of crippling sanctions, reimposed after Trump ditched the 2015 nuclear pact, persuaded Khamenei to support talks with the Trump administration.
Tehran’s concerns were exacerbated by Trump’s speedy revival of his first term’s “maximum pressure” campaign aimed at driving Iran’s oil exports towards zero with more sanctions.
Since 2019, Iran has far surpassed its uranium enrichment limits, according to the IAEA. Tehran is producing stocks of fissile purity well above what Western powers say is justifiable for a civilian energy program and close to weapons grade.
Tehran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons.
“What Tehran wants in return (from the US) is for sanctions to be removed on several sectors. Once those sanctions are removed, the US cannot bring them back under other pretexts,” the state-run Tehran Times newspaper reported on Monday.
Trump makes it a regional affair
In additional discussions regarding US-Iran nuclear talks, Trump spoke by phone with Oman’s ruler Haitham bin Tariq Al Said on Tuesday.
The two discussed ways to support nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, the Omani state news agency reported.
Oman has provided the venue for talks, a second round of which is set to be held in Muscat on Saturday.
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