Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, said Saturday that Trump is questioning why Iran has not agreed to a deal on its nuclear program.
In an interview with Fox News, Witkoff told Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, that Trump is “curious” about Iran’s position.
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“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 asking why, “under this sort of pressure with the amount of naval power that we have over there,” Iran has not approached the United States to state it does not seek a nuclear weapon and outline what it is prepared to do.
Witkoff said Trump’s red lines require Iran to maintain “zero enrichment” of uranium. He added that Iran has enriched uranium beyond levels needed for civilian purposes.
The interview came as Trump has called on Iran to reach a nuclear agreement while maintaining a US military presence in the Middle East in case diplomacy fails.
On Friday, Trump urged Iran to “better negotiate a fair deal.” He also cited a figure of 32,000 protesters killed in Iran, a number advanced by Iranian opposition groups that is significantly higher than other estimates.