Kushner, Witkoff warn Trump that US unlikely to reach deal with Iran

“Difficult to impossible” – Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner reportedly warn President Trump that the odds of reaching a new nuclear deal with Iran are extremely low, even as they continue to give diplomacy a chance.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

The United States is unlikely to reach a new nuclear agreement with Iran, two of President Donald Trump’s top advisers have reportedly warned him, even as they continue their efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution with the Islamic Republic.

On Saturday, Channel 12’s Barak Ravid wrote that according to a senior US official, White House special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner recently told the president that given historic precedent with Iran, achieving a nuclear deal with Tehran now is “difficult to impossible.”

However, while the two expressed pessimism regarding the prospects for talks, they added that they would continue to “take a tough line” in negotiations in the hopes of defying the odds and making a diplomatic breakthrough.

“If they agree to what we are asking for, we will give you the option and you decide,” Witkoff and Kushner reportedly told the president.

On February 6, the US and Iran held their first round of talks since the June 2025 war, with Witkoff heading the American delegation to Muscat, Oman.

Both sides agreed to continue negotiations, though no major progress was reported by either side, with Iranian officials downplaying the importance of the summit, claiming it was merely used as a forum for both sides to exchange messages.

In the meantime, the US continues its military buildup in the region, with the US Navy dispatching a second nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the Middle East, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln.

It is estimated that it will take the USS Gerald Ford and its battle group two to three weeks to reach the Middle East from its current deployment in the Caribbean.