Witkoff: Iran is in Contact with the U.S. 'Through Several Countries'

The U.S. Special Representative for Middle East Affairs emphasized that Donald Trump is trying to prevent military conflict with Iran through 'confidence-building,' and Iran is in contact with the U.S. 'through intermediaries.' Steve Witkoff, in an interview with American host Tucker Carlson, which was published on the social media platform X on Friday night, April 1, also stated that 'there are two ways to manage Iran: militarily or through an agreement. President Trump has clearly stated that he prefers an agreement. He does not intend to harm Iran.' He also added that Iran is in contact with the U.S. through intermediaries and 'through several countries,' but he is not allowed to go into details about this. Mr. Witkoff pointed out that the United States has the upper hand militarily, and naturally, the Iranians should be pressuring for a diplomatic solution, stating: instead, it was he who wrote a letter and requested negotiations. Steve Witkoff, in response to a question about the content of Mr. Trump's letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, said he specified that 'the President is a peace president' and 'we need to talk.' According to Mr. Witkoff, the U.S. President also emphasized that a verification program must be established 'so that no one is worried about the weaponization of your nuclear materials, as the alternative solution [military action] is not a very good substitute.' About two weeks ago, Donald Trump announced that he had sent a letter to Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, proposing direct negotiations and reaching a nuclear agreement. He also emphasized that the U.S. has reached 'the final moments' regarding Iran and 'I prefer that a peaceful agreement is reached, but the other option will also solve this problem.' After that, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic rejected the proposal for negotiations with Donald Trump's government several times, and most recently on April 1, he told the United States: 'You will not get anywhere' and 'you will be slapped.' In response to a question about Mr. Trump's letter, Steve Witkoff stated that Mr. Trump has called for negotiations because 'we need to talk, we need to clear up misconceptions.' Before the publication of Steve Witkoff's interview, the Iranian Foreign Minister said that the Islamic Republic would respond to Donald Trump's letter in the coming days, which he said 'has more of a threatening aspect.' The Axios website also reported, citing its sources, that Mr. Trump set a two-month deadline in his letter for reaching a new nuclear agreement. However, Steve Witkoff stated that he is optimistic about a diplomatic solution with Iran and 'I think the President [Trump] has acknowledged that he has an open embrace for an opportunity to resolve all issues with Iran' and wants Iran 'to return to the world and once again become a great nation.' Iran and six world powers reached the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA in July 2015, and Mr. Trump, who has always been a critic of the terms of this agreement, announced the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in May 2018. Iran denies seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, but after the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, it deviated from its commitments under this agreement and significantly accelerated its uranium enrichment, especially in the past year. According to the latest quarterly report from the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran's stockpile of 60% enriched uranium increased from 182 kg to 275 kg within three months. Uranium enriched to 60% can quickly reach the 90% level required for nuclear weapons, and according to the Director General of the Agency, Iran 'is the only non-nuclear country that enriches to this extent, and this is a serious concern for me.'