The supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, surrounded by senior officials and government members on April 15, 2025, in Tehran. (Credit: Khamenei.ir/AFP)
On Monday, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, told Fox News that Tehran might be allowed to continue enriching uranium, provided the maximum level was reduced back to 3.67 percent, as under the 2015 agreement, and that strict monitoring mechanisms were put in place. But the next day, Witkoff, the chief negotiator on Iran’s nuclear program, backtracked.“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,” Witkoff said in a statement published on his X account, “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.”It was a return to the hardline stance championed by anti-Iran hawks...
On Monday, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, told Fox News that Tehran might be allowed to continue enriching uranium, provided the maximum level was reduced back to 3.67 percent, as under the 2015 agreement, and that strict monitoring mechanisms were put in place. But the next day, Witkoff, the chief negotiator on Iran’s nuclear program, backtracked.“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,” Witkoff said in a statement published on his X account, “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.”It was a return to the hardline stance championed by...