Trump ‘curious’ why Iran hasn’t capitulated to US pressure – Witkoff

President Donald Trump perplexed by Iran’s continued obstinance in the face of a major American military buildup and the threat of war.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump is perplexed by Iran’s ongoing refusal to accept American red lines in nuclear talks, thus risking a major military conflict with the US, Trump’s top envoy to the Middle East said over the weekend.

On Saturday night, White House special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff told Fox News that President Trump is “curious” as to why Iran continues to defy American demands regarding its nuclear program.

“I don’t want to use the word frustrated. The president is curious as to why – I don’t want to use the word capitulated, but why they haven’t capitulated,” Witkoff said.

“Why under this pressure with the amount of naval power over there, why they haven’t come to us and said ‘we profess that we don’t want a weapon, so here’s what we’re prepared to do’.”

“And yet it is sort of hard to get them to that place,” Witkoff continued.

Witkoff warned that Iran is potentially one week away from being able to produce weapons-grade enriched uranium.

“They’re probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material. And that’s really dangerous. So, they can’t have that.”

While talks between the US and Iran in Geneva last Tuesday are said to have made progress, Witkoff, who led the American delegation during the negotiations, emphasized that to reach an agreement, Iran must accept American “red lines,” including the demand for “zero enrichment.”

“There have been some very hard red lines drawn,” Witkoff said.

Turning to the Board of Peace’s plans for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, Witkoff said the war-torn enclave would in the coming years enter a “renaissance.”

“We’re going to be able to clear and demolish all the areas there and get it ready for a renaissance. And I think this is just the beginning.”