WASHINGTON — Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff insisted Tuesday that Iran “stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program” — after suggesting Tehran could keep civilian-grade facilities in any revised nuclear deal just a night earlier.
Witkoff, who held indirect talks with Iranian leaders in Oman Saturday, said in a statement any potential Iran deal “will only be completed if it is a Trump deal” — backtracking on comments to Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday night that Iran would be able to keep up its civilian use of uranium enrichment sites.
”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,” the envoy said Tuesday.
“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.”
The previous night, Witkoff had told Hannity that any deal would have to include “verification” of nuclear sites to ensure operating facilities were not spinning up weapons-grade material.“The conversation with the Iranians will be much about two critical points: One, enrichment, as you mentioned — they do not need to enrich past 3.67%,” he said. “In some circumstances, they’re at 60%. In other circumstances, 20%.
“That cannot be and you do not need to run, as they claim, a ‘civil nuclear program’ where you’re enriching past 3.67%, so this is going to be much about verification on the enrichment program.”
Witkoff also said “verification” would be required to ensure Iran was not weaponizing its nuclear program.
“That includes missiles, the type of missiles that they have stockpiled there, and it includes the trigger for a bomb,” he told Hannity. “And I think we’re here to have, as the president indicated — and I take my direction from him every day that I go to work — we’re here to see if we can solve this situation diplomatically and with dialogue.”
Witkoff’s since-scrapped plan — allowing Iran to keep some nuclear capabilities so long as it opens itself up to strict inspections — was similar to former President Barack Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal, from which Trump withdrew the US in 2018.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce attempted to explain away the confusion during a press conference Tuesday, noting that Witkoff “speaks for himself quite well” but that what matters is what comes out through official channels.“Ambassador Witkoff, clearly, is one of the best people in the world for negotiating and for dealing with bad actors and getting peace and cease-fires,” she said. “But when things are being said in the moment in public, you must consider that these are not — that’s not part of how they negotiate, in the sense of whatever they’re talking about together, and that one should always wait and see that he’s — no one’s negotiating in public.” “What matters is an end result,” Bruce added, “all parties agreeing, papers being signed. It is not what people say but the actions they take.”
The spokesperson also read off Witkoff’s Tuesday statement, making clear that was official Trump administration policy.”
“What matters is what is accomplished … and if anyone can do that, it would be a President Trump and his vision, along with Ambassador Witkoff, who’s done a great job in this regard.”
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