Donald Trump will assign his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to address Washington’s concerns over Iran, suggesting the US president is willing to test diplomacy before ramping up pressure on Tehran, people familiar with the matter said.
Witkoffreal estate investor who played a key role in securing the Gaza ceasefire is expected to lead efforts on Iran’s nuclear program as part of Trump’s broader task to “stop the wars” in the region, the people said.
In 2018, Trump withdrew the US from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, then imposed tough sanctions and warned that it would be the “official end of Iran” if it fought against Washington and continued with nuclear weapons.
During the transition, Trump’s team assembled the possible measures to re-establish its campaign of “maximum pressure” on Iran, through new sanctions or stricter monitoring of current measures.
But Trump and his aides telegraphed in the first meetings that they wanted to keep the path open to avoid a wider conflict with Iran. Some Trump officials have told foreign diplomats and colleagues they expect Witkoff to lead efforts to see if a diplomatic deal is possible.
“I don’t see the administration using force early in its tenure before at least trying to exhaust other means. It does not fit the approach that the war started with Biden and that he will end it,” said the former Israeli official.
Witkoff’s main focus will remain the implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza. Trump also selected Morgan Ortagus, a first-term State Department spokesman with experience serving in the Middle East, as Witkoff’s deputy.
U.S. officials say the full contours of Trump’s approach to Tehran and Witkoff’s authority remain in flux. But some of the US president’s recent appointments have created a camp in the administration that would consider negotiations with Iran and is skeptical of a strike on its nuclear program, which has been advocated by Iran hawks in the US and Israeli governments.
Michael DiMino, Trump’s new top Middle East official at the Pentagon, was a former CIA official who advocated restraint in relations with Tehran at a Koch-funded think-tank. Elbridge Colby, Trump’s nominee for undersecretary of defense for policy, warned against any military action against Iran.
Others on Trump’s foreign policy team have taken a harder line, including National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. During his confirmation hearing, Rubio said he supports “any arrangement that gives us security and stability in the region, but one where we are clear-eyed.”
Asked about Witkoff’s role and the administration’s approach to Iran, Trump NSC spokesman Brian Hughes said, “We have no announcements to share at this time.”
Western officials believe Iran is at its weakest point in decades after Israel’s war in the Middle East significantly weakened Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel and the US claim that a revenge attack on Iran last year destroyed much of its air defenses – although Tehran has denied this.
The Islamic Republic has also signaled it is open to talks, although analysts say it will be a significant challenge for Trump and Iran to agree to terms that would make a deal possible. In December, the UN warned that Iran had taken steps to “dramatically” increase its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium.
In 2018, Trump withdrew the US from the nuclear deal between six world powers and Iran. Britain, France and Germany want to reach a coordinated approach with the US on what to do when that deal effectively expires in October, according to diplomats.
Iran’s Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif said in Davos this week that he hoped Trump would be “more serious, more focused, more realistic” in his dealings with Iran.
He said the US withdrawal from the Iran deal had failed to “dissuade” Iran, but acknowledged the heavy economic costs for the Iranian people and government. Asked if Iran would consider a deal requiring Iran to stop supporting regional proxy groups, he said: “We’ve never had a proxy.”
Witkoff’s potential handling of Iran issues has alarmed some Iran hawks in Congress and elsewhere in Washington, who worry that he will be too quick to ease pressure on Iran in pursuing a possible deal.
“He is already ratcheting up the pressure on Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, and in the process abandoning American hostages and endangering Israel,” said a senior Republican congressional staffer. “He keeps saying he knows what Trump wants, but he doesn’t understand what Trump believes.”
