Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff calls in to break down his stunning negotiations with the Iranian regime before President Trump made his decision to attack. These meetings were to explore whether a verifiable, enforceable nuclear deal was possible under Trump. From the outset, the Iranians asserted that uranium enrichment was Iran’s inalienable right and declared their large stockpile of enriched material—approximately 22,000 pounds—was off the table for negotiation. This could yield about 11 nuclear bombs if further enriched. Witkoff and Jared Kushner quickly became skeptical of Iran’s willingness to make acceptable concessions. These meetings convinced Witkoff and Kushner that Iran had no genuine interest in a civilian nuclear program. Instead, Iran sought to disguise an ongoing research and development effort to maintain enrichment flexibility and breakout capability. Rejecting the no-enrichment deal revealed their true motivations were not civilian but weapons-oriented, allowing rapid production of enough material for dozens of bombs if unchecked. Witkoff reported these deceptions and unassailable facts to President Trump, who then made a tough, consequential decision in response.
