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Ahead of pivotal negotiations this weekend in Oman, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff stated on Friday that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remains a non-negotiable red line for the Trump administration.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Witkoff stressed that Washington will open the dialogue with a firm demand: Tehran must dismantle its nuclear infrastructure. However, he acknowledged that negotiations may require some flexibility.
“I think our position begins with dismantlement of your program. That is our position today,” Witkoff told the newspaper. “That doesn’t mean, by the way, that at the margin we’re not going to find other ways to find compromise between the two countries.”
He emphasized that one boundary remains immovable. “Where our red line will be, there can’t be weaponization of your nuclear capability.”
These remarks reflect the internal deliberations of the Trump administration as it weighs the prospect of diplomacy against the potential necessity of military intervention.
Should Iran refuse to shutter its nuclear program, Witkoff said the final decision would rest with President Donald Trump, who would then assess the administration’s next steps in dealing with Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Witkoff described the initial encounter in Oman as foundational. “This is about trust building. It is about talking about why it is so important for us to get to a deal, not the exact terms of the deal,” he told The Wall Street Journal, adding that any eventual agreement would have to include extensive verification mechanisms to ensure Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons in secret.
Trump stated this week that the talks in Oman would be direct, but Iranian officials insisted the encounter between Witkoff and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi would involve indirect engagement rather than face-to-face talks.
Witkoff expressed hope that future discussions could become more direct as mutual trust is built, according to The Wall Street Journal.
On Wednesday, Trump said that, if military action is required to thwart Iran’s nuclear program, Israel will be involved and even lead the effort.
“With Iran, if it requires military, we’re going to have military. Israel will be the leader of that. But nobody leads us, we do what we want to do,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office.
Asked what his deadline would be for Iran to reach a deal, the President replied, “I can’t really be specific, but when you start talks, you know if they’re going along well or not, and I would say the conclusion would be when I think they’re not going along well."
On Friday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump wants Iran to know that "all options are on the table" for preventing it from developing nuclear weapons.
Leavitt stated that Trump's "ultimate objective is to ensure that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon" and that the President believes in diplomacy.
"But he's made it very clear to the Iranians and his national security team will as well, that all options are on the table, and Iran has a choice to make. You can agree to President Trump's demand, or there will be all hell to pay, and that's how the president feels. He feels very strongly about it," she said.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
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