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U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said connected Saturday (February 21, 2026) that President Donald Trump is questioning wherefore Iran has not "capitulated" successful the look of Washington's subject build-up aimed astatine pressuring them into a atomic deal.
The United States and Iran this week resumed Oman-mediated talks successful Geneva aimed astatine averting the anticipation of subject action, aft Washington dispatched 2 craft carriers, jets and weaponry to the portion to backmost its warnings.
In a Fox News interrogation with Mr. Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara, Mr. Witkoff said the President was "curious" astir Iran's presumption aft helium had warned them of terrible consequences successful the lawsuit they failed to onslaught a deal.
"I don't privation to usage the connection 'frustrated,' due to the fact that helium understands helium has plentifulness of alternatives, but he's funny arsenic to wherefore they haven't. I don't privation to usage the connection 'capitulated,' but wherefore they haven't capitulated," helium said.
"Why, nether this pressure, with the magnitude of seapower and naval powerfulness implicit there, wherefore haven't they travel to america and said, 'We profess we don't privation a weapon, truthful here's what we're prepared to do'? And yet it's benignant of hard to get them to that place."
The U.S. envoy besides confirmed successful the interrogation that helium had met with Reza Pahlavi, the exiled lad of Iran's past shah and a professional of the existent authorities, who has not returned to the state since earlier the 1979 Islamic Revolution that ousted the monarchy.
"I met him astatine the absorption of the president," Mr. Witkoff said, without providing further details. "I deliberation he's beardown for his country, cares astir his country. But this is going to beryllium astir President Trump's policies."
U.S.-based Mr. Pahlavi past week told a assemblage successful Munich that helium was acceptable to pb the state to a "secular antiauthoritarian future" aft Mr. Trump said authorities alteration would beryllium champion for the country.
Mr. Witkoff's comments travel aft Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a draught connection for an statement with Washington would beryllium acceptable successful a substance of days.
Mr. Trump said connected Thursday (February 19, 2026) that Iran had astatine astir 15 days to marque a woody connected concerns starting with its atomic programme. As talks betwixt the 2 nations continued successful Geneva, Iran's ultimate person Ayatollah Ali Khamenei connected Tuesday said that Trump would not win successful destroying the Islamic republic.
Western countries impeach the Islamic Republic of seeking to get atomic weapons, which Tehran denies, though it insists connected its close to enrichment for civilian purposes.
Iran, for its part, is seeking to negociate an extremity to sanctions that person proven to beryllium a monolithic resistance connected its economy, which played a relation successful sparking anti-government protests successful December.
