Witkoff hopeful of deal with Iran, continues to rule out enrichment

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Fox News
25 Jun 2025 06:24

US envoy Steve Witkoff says talks with Iran are progressing and a long-term peace deal is possible, but insists it will exclude uranium enrichment.

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White House special envoy Steve Witkoff speaks with journalists after a signing ceremony between President Donald Trump and Qatar's Prime Minister Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the Amiri Diwan in Doha, Qatar, on May 14, 2025. (AP)

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has described ongoing negotiations with Iran as "promising," expressing optimism that a comprehensive agreement could soon be reached.

In remarks to Fox News, Witkoff said Washington is pursuing a "long-term peace agreement" with Tehran, one he claimed would help "resurrect" Iran and bring economic prosperity to the wider Gulf region.

US maintains hardline position on Iran's nuclear program

When asked whether the proposed deal would permit Iran to continue enriching uranium, Witkoff replied, "No."

"They don't need it. What they need is a civil non-enrichment program, just like Abu Dhabi has," he elaborated.

Witkoff defends potency of US strikes

For much of the interview, Witkoff emphasized what he described as the success of recent US strikes targeting Iran’s civilian nuclear infrastructure, including key sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. His remarks follow a wave of leaked intelligence reports that cast doubt on President Donald Trump’s assertions that Iran’s nuclear program had been "completely obliterated."

Witkoff has been leading indirect talks with Iran; however, these diplomatic efforts came to a standstill when the Israeli regime launched an attack on Iran on June 13.

The war on Iran also included US strikes on three key nuclear facilities, bringing the region to unprecedented escalation.

Following the Iranian response to both the US and the Israeli aggression, a ceasefire was announced by Trump on June 24, ending what he said was the "12 Day War."

Leaked intel shows otherwise

Meanwhile, CNN reported, citing three sources briefed on a US intel analysis, that the US military strikes did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by a few months.

The assessment, which has not been previously reported, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon's intelligence arm, and is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by the US Central Command after the strikes, according to one of the sources.

Additionally, the leaked information showed that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed, and the centrifuges remain largely "intact".

No compromise on sovereign enrichment: Iran holds line

While Witkoff’s reiteration of the US position against uranium enrichment signals a potential return to a tense negotiating path, Iran has remained unwavering in its commitment to defend years of peaceful nuclear progress and scientific achievement.

Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to cap uranium enrichment at 3.67%. However, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018, despite Iran’s full compliance up to that point. In response, Tehran, now not limited to JCPOA caps, enriched uranium up to 60%—a level still below weapons-grade.

Nonetheless, as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran has not militarized its nuclear program. According to the latest statements by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, there is no evidence to suggest that Iran has diverted its nuclear activities toward weaponization.

Meanwhile, Iran’s nuclear chief has vowed that the country’s nuclear activities will continue without disruption, despite the military strikes on its nuclear facilities.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said that all necessary measures have been taken to maintain operations and assess damage to impacted sites. He condemned the attacks on Iran's "peaceful nuclear facilities" and emphasized that preemptive planning had ensured no interruption in the country’s nuclear production or services.