Witkoff says the president is ‘curious’ about Tehran’s defiance despite Washington’s military buildup
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff holds a press conference after the signing of the declaration on the deployment of post-ceasefire force in Ukraine, during the so-called ‘Coalition of the Willing’ summit, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, January 6, 2026. SOURCE: REUTERS
WASHINGTON/PARIS:
US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Saturday that President Donald Trump is questioning why Iran has not “capitulated” to Washington’s military buildup aimed at pressuring them into a nuclear deal.
The United States and Iran this week resumed Oman-brokered talks in Geneva aimed at averting the possibility of military action after Washington sent two aircraft carriers, jets and weapons to the region to back up its warnings.
In a Fox News interview with Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump, Witkoff said the president was “curious” about Iran’s position after he warned them of dire consequences if they couldn’t strike a deal.
“I don’t want to use the word ‘frustrated’ because he understands that he has plenty of alternatives, but he’s curious as to why they haven’t… I don’t want to use the word ‘capitulated,’ but why they haven’t capitulated,” he said.
“Why, under this pressure, with the amount of sea power and naval power over there, why haven’t they come to us and said, ‘We confess we don’t want a weapon, so here’s what we’re prepared to do’? And yet it’s kind of hard to get them to that place.”
The US envoy also confirmed in the interview that he had met with Reza Pahlavi, who has not returned to Iran since before the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the monarchy.
“I met him at the direction of the president,” he said, without giving further details.
US-based Pahlavi told a crowd in Munich last week that he was ready to lead the country to a “secular democratic future” after Trump said regime change would be best for the country.
Witkoff’s comments come after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a draft proposal for a deal with Washington would be ready within days.
Trump said Thursday that Iran had at most 15 days to strike a deal on concerns starting with its nuclear program.
As talks between the two nations continued in Geneva, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that Trump will not succeed in destroying the Islamic Republic.
Western countries accuse the Islamic Republic of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies, although it insists on its right to enrichment for civilian purposes.
Iran, for its part, is seeking to negotiate an end to sanctions that have proved a massive drag on the country’s economy, which played a role in sparking anti-government protests in December.
Meanwhile, Araghchi said on Sunday that his country would strike back against US interests in the Middle East in the event of an attack, although he still saw a chance for a diplomatic solution.
Speaking to US broadcaster CBS, Iran’s foreign minister said he expected new talks on the details of a deal “probably” on Thursday, as fears loomed of renewed conflict after Washington carried out a major redeployment of military assets to the region.
On Sunday, Iranian students staged competing pro- and anti-government protests at several universities, with critics of the clerical leadership facing arrest or worse if caught.
“If the US attacks us, then we have every right to defend ourselves,” Araghchi said, alluding to US interests in the region as potential targets.
Still, he said, “there is a good chance of getting a diplomatic solution”.
After a recent round of talks in Geneva, Iran said it was drafting proposals for a deal that would avert military action.
“I believe that when we meet, probably this Thursday in Geneva again, we can work on these elements and prepare a good text and reach a quick agreement,” Araghchi told CBS.
Axios had previously reported, citing an unnamed senior US official, that if Iran submitted its proposal within the next 48 hours, Washington was ready to meet again later this week “to start detailed negotiations”.
The US has sent two aircraft carriers to the Middle East in recent weeks, along with other jets and ships, and has also beefed up its air defenses in the region to back up its threats of military intervention.
