WhatsappPresident Trump was asked about the recent opening talks between the US and Iran held in Oman this past weekend. Despite Iran’s spin, Trump explained at a press conference he was holding with El Salvador’s president at the White House, that “Iran might be tapping us along.” This is of course not a surprise. The Iranian regime are experts in wasting years with endless negotiations as they move closer to a nuclear bomb.
President Trump’s team has made it clear that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon nor a nuclear program that leads to one. Despite the noise surrounding Steve Witkoff’s apparent concessions to Iran, President Trump reiterated his stance again this week by making it clear that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and talks cannot drag out for a long time “If we have to do something very harsh we will do it,” he said.
Steve Witkoff has already issued a new statement that is a clear contradiction of his previous statements on Fox News he made after his initial meeting with Iranian representatives in Oman.
Witkoff posted this quote on X to clarify his positions: “A deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a Trump deal. Any final arrangement must set a framework for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East — meaning that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program. It is imperative for the world that we create a tough, fair deal that will endure, and that is what President Trump has asked me to do.”
The previous day on Fox News, the special envoy had said “the conversation with the Iranians” would concern uranium enrichment at 3.67 % for civil nuclear purposes.
“In some circumstances they are enriching at 60% and at others at 20%. That cannot be,” he said. “You do not need to run, as they claim, a civil nuclear program where you are enriching past 3.67%. This is going to be much about verification on the enrichment program and then ultimately verification on weaponization – that includes the type of missiles they have stockpiled there and the trigger for a bomb.”
The storm surrounding such an about face is the sort of mass confusion Trump’s team purposely spreads to keep Iran and others off guard. Read more about this strategy here: If Trump Is Preparing To Strike Iran, What Is Witkoff Doing?
According to Axios there is a disagreement inside Trump’s team with JD Vance and Steve Witkoff preferring a negotiated deal and a willingness to compromise to get it. This is in stark contrast to Rubio and Waltz, “who are highly skeptical and support a maximalist approach to the negotiations.”
Despite the disagreements inside President Trump’s team, Trump’s latest comments along with the military build up in the region indicate that he may like the optics of negotiations, but he is aware that the only way to guarantee Iran doesn’t get nukes is though a direct attack on the regime’s nuclear sites. “If we have to do something very harsh, we’ll do it. And I am not doing this for us, I am doing this for the world. These are radical people.” When asked whether a military option is on the table, President Trump answered: “Of course.”
Given the comments over the last week and Iran’s propensity to stall, along with America’s military build up - is it reasonable to assume the US and Israel are moving fast towards a direct strike on Iran? I think so.
