Foreign Affairs
State of the Union: The Trump envoy Steve Witkoff had said the White House wants to create a “verification program.”
The Trump administration seeks a “full dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program, per National Security Advisor Mike Waltz Sunday on CBS News’ Face the Nation.
Whether Waltz meant Iran’s entire civilian nuclear energy program or just its military aspects isn’t clear. His initial response to the host’s question had suggested the former, but Waltz went on to say that Iran “will not and cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapons program.”
Tehran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but Iran’s enrichment of uranium has accelerated since Trump withdrew from an Obama-era nuclear agreement and is approaching weapons grade.
Subscribe Today
Get daily emails in your inbox
Trump says he wants a nuclear deal with Iran and has warned that the other option may be war. The president revealed earlier this month that he had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei requesting negotiations. Axios reported that the letter included a two-month deadline for reaching a deal.
Tehran’s response to the letter was mixed. Khamenei called it a “deception,” while the Iranian mission to the UN said, “If the objective of negotiations is to address concerns vis-à-vis any potential militarization of Iran’s nuclear program, such discussions may be subject to consideration.” The latter statement suggests that Tehran may be unsure about the scope of Trump’s demands.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said in a Friday interview with Tucker Carlson that Trump, in his letter, had conveyed a desire to avoid war and for the two nations to “create a verification program so that nobody worries about weaponization of your nuclear material.”
