Witkoff: Iran Must Halt and Destroy Its Nuclear Enrichment and Weapons Program

Steve Witkoff, special representative of Donald Trump and head of the American delegation in negotiations with Iran, stated: "Iran must stop and destroy its nuclear enrichment and weapons program." On Tuesday, April 15, he emphasized in a post on X that "an agreement with Iran will only be finalized if it is a Trump agreement." He added: "It is essential for the world to reach a strict and fair agreement that remains sustainable, and this is what President Trump has asked me to do." These remarks come as Witkoff had previously stated that Iran does not need enrichment above 3.67 percent and that the core of the agreement with Tehran will be the verification of uranium enrichment levels and also the verification of the military dimensions of the nuclear program, "including missile-related aspects." Meanwhile, the news website Axios reports that Donald Trump held a confidential meeting on Tuesday morning in the White House Situation Room with senior security and foreign policy officials about nuclear negotiations with Iran. According to this report, sources indicated that the meeting aimed to determine the U.S. position for the next round of talks scheduled for Saturday. Attendees included figures such as Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, special envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and other senior officials. While Vance and Witkoff have consistently supported diplomacy and sought compromises to reach an agreement, figures like Rubio and Waltz have a more hardline approach. Trump, on one hand, seeks a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear crisis while simultaneously threatening military action against Iran. Prior to this meeting, Trump spoke by phone with Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, discussing Oman's mediating role between Iran and the U.S. The official Oman news agency reported that both sides emphasized support for negotiations to achieve favorable outcomes. Caroline Levitt, White House spokesperson, on Tuesday, April 15, stated in her press conference regarding this phone call that "the President spoke today with the Sultan of Oman, who played a role in facilitating these negotiations. He thanked the Sultan for hosting the first direct meeting between the United States and Iran and emphasized the necessity of ending Iran's nuclear program through negotiation." Levitt added that the White House would issue a written statement regarding this phone call. In another part, the White House spokesperson, in response to reporters' questions about Iran, stated that "of course, the maximum pressure campaign on Iran continues, but as you know, the President has clearly stated that he seeks dialogue and engagement with Iran, while also making it clear that his explicit directive is that Iran must never obtain nuclear weapons." On Monday, Trump told reporters that Iran must move faster in negotiations and warned that if necessary, he would resort to "very tough action." Although both sides expressed satisfaction with the results of the first round, Trump criticized what he called Iran's "stalling." On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video message, stated that what must be eliminated is "the nuclear weapons program and the terror axis of the Islamic Republic," not Israel. Prince Reza Pahlavi also stated on the same day in a message on X that the Islamic Republic is an obstacle to peace and addressed Steve Witkoff, the head of the American delegation in negotiations with Iran, saying, "Do not throw a lifeline to this warmongering regime." The next round of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. was supposed to take place on Saturday in Rome, but the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that this round has been moved to Muscat. Sources informed Axios that one reason for this change was the potential presence of Vance in Rome at the same time and the White House's desire to avoid overlap. Ali Khamenei stated that the first round of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. "was well executed." Oman, one of the last sultanates in the world on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, plays a key role for the West due to its geographical position, historical background, and proximity to Iran, especially in behind-the-scenes mediations. The relationship between Oman and Iran, which was strengthened in the 1970s with the deployment of forces by Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi to help suppress the Dhofar Rebellion in that country, has been maintained since the 1979 revolution. The U.S. has long used Oman for dialogue with Iran, including in the secret negotiations that led to the 2015 nuclear agreement. According to experts, Oman is considered a reliable partner in diplomacy in the complex situation of the Middle East.