United States special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has insisted that Iran must dismantle its uranium enrichment facilities for Washington to take Tehran’s claims about its nuclear ambitions seriously.
Witkoff, who is leading the US delegation in the Iran nuclear talks, made the remarks on Sunday ahead of his trip to Oman for the fourth round of discussions, which had been postponed last month due to a logistical issue raised by Iran’s foreign minister.
"They cannot have centrifuges. They have to downblend all of their fuel that they have there and send it to a far-away place," Witkoff said. "An enrichment programme can never exist in the state of Iran ever again. That’s our red line."
He added, "I just believe they have no choice but to accept the position of US President Donald Trump against enrichment. They can say no, and they can test President Trump, but I think that would be an unwise thing to do."
Witkoff’s latest remarks mark a significant escalation from his previous stance, expressed last month, when he maintained that the US would seek only to cap Iran’s uranium enrichment, a position deemed unacceptable by Israel. The shift in tone, according to analysts, displays Washington’s increasingly hard-line approach, which aligns more closely with Israel’s concerns over Iran’s nuclear potential.
Witkoff also addressed concerns about potential US action against Iran for its backing of the Houthi rebels in Yemen, stating, "We don’t want to confuse the nuclear discussion because that to us is the existential issue. That’s the issue that needs to be solved today and quickly."
The special envoy is set to travel to Oman on Sunday, where he will engage in further talks, including meetings with Omani and Houthi officials.
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Reports suggest that Witkoff was instrumental in brokering a US ceasefire in Yemen, announced by President Trump on Tuesday, although the truce notably lacks a commitment from the Yemeni rebels to cease attacks on Israel, catching Tel Aviv by surprise.
Trump, who is expected to visit the Middle East next week, has reportedly been pushing for a diplomatic solution over a military one, a stance that reflects his administration’s broader strategy of prioritising regional stability.
However, Witkoff acknowledged that critics of his approach, including what he described as a "neo-con element," continue to advocate for a more confrontational posture towards Tehran.
Meanwhile, Trump’s efforts to broker a normalisation agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel appear to have hit a stumbling block.
Reports on Friday indicated that Trump has dropped the demand that Saudi Arabia normalise ties with Israel as a condition for progress on a civilian nuclear programme, signalling a potential shift in US strategy in the region.
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