US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday said he would probably travel to Israel next week to coordinate on the US-Israeli war effort against Iran.
Speaking toCNBC, Witkoff said a planned visit to Israel focusing on coordination and other important things was cancelled for “other reasons" that had nothing to do with the war. “We will probably make that trip next week, but we’re not sure about it as of now," he said.
Witkoff had been scheduled to travel to Israel this week alongside Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner before it was cancelled. This comes amid reports of a rift between the US and Israel over the conduct of the war, particularly following Israeli strikes over the weekend that targeted fuel depots in Tehran. However, Witkoff downplayed such speculation.
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The special envoy also stressed that Iran was not negotiating in good faith and was not pursuing a nuclear deal, prompting Trump to order strikes. “We have destroyed almost all of their enrichment capability and conversion capability," he said.
Reiterating Trump’s position on Iran, Witkoff said, “President Trump is the wrong guy to go up against. That’s what I know. He has drawn a red line, and that is that Iran cannot have a weapon. And, yes, they say they don’t want one, but all of their actions indicate the exact opposite. So he’s just not the right guy to tangle with, and I would suggest they don’t."
He said the US president was open to communication with Iran, and accused Iranian officials of making poor decisions if they were thinking about taking on the American military.
“We’re going to get it done one way or another. So let’s see if the Iranians want to talk. If they do, I’m sure the president would be open to it. But, right now, peace through strength matters. People like the Iranians only understand one thing, a bad alternative if they don’t do as the president has asked them to do," he added.
This came after Donald Trump said he could be willing to negotiate with Iran but that any talks would depend on the terms, striking a notably different tone from his earlier threats of overwhelming military retaliation against Tehran. In an interview withFox News, Trump said he had heard that Iranian officials “want to talk badly."
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Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News
