Iranian FM blew up at Witkoff two days before Operation Epic Fury began

The meeting centered on US demands that Iran halt uranium enrichment for the next 10 years.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A heated confrontation between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during talks over Iran’s nuclear program preceded Washington’s decision to join Israel in military operations against Iran, according to an NBC report citing a senior Trump administration official.

The meeting, described by the official on condition of anonymity, centered on US demands that Iran halt uranium enrichment for the next 10 years.

The Iranian delegation rejected the position, prompting a sharp exchange between the two sides, the official said.

Iran has an “inalienable right” to enrich uranium, Araghchi told the Americans, according to the account.

Witkoff, who was part of the US delegation, responded that the United States has an “inalienable right” to stop Iran from doing so. After hearing the US position, Araghchi began shouting at Witkoff, who was accompanied at the meeting by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and others, the official said.

“If you prefer, I can leave,” Witkoff said during the encounter, according to the official.

Representatives for Araghchi did not immediately respond to a request for comment, NBC reported.

Following the meeting, the US delegation briefed Trump on what had transpired. The president was described by the official as “nonplussed” by the exchange.

Within days, the United States joined Israel in military action. By Saturday morning, US forces were engaged in hostilities against Iran.

Trump later announced that “major combat operations” had begun, making the statement in a video released at 2:30 a.m. ET on his social media platform.

Trump’s decision to authorize strikes followed what NBC described as extended negotiations that left him increasingly frustrated and persuaded that a diplomatic resolution was unlikely.

The president was not eager to enter a conflict, the report said, and had expressed concerns that advisers had failed to provide a sufficiently clear assessment of Iran’s intentions.

“They weren’t willing to stop their nuclear research,” Trump said. “They weren’t willing to say they will not have a nuclear weapon. Very simple.”

The breakdown in talks and the subsequent escalation marked the end of efforts by the Trump administration to reach an agreement with Tehran through negotiations.