U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is a good friend of President Donald Trump and a trusted messenger. He is also a good student. Witkoff has learned the “Trump Three-Step” — the assertion of a firm policy position (step one), followed by a retraction and adoption of a new position (step two), followed by an assertion that the new position was his position all along (step three). He performed the moves admirably last week, to the satisfaction of his patron president.
It all began on April 12 in Oman, with the first meeting between the United States and Iran to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. Initial reports regarding the meeting were disconcerting and it appeared that Witkoff got off on the wrong foot.
First, the U.S. demanded direct negotiations with Iran’s representatives and Iran insisted on indirect talks. The talks in Oman were indirect, with the Omani foreign minister acting as the go-between. There was, however, a photo op and handshake between Witkoff and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi after the indirect meeting, so the face-to-face issue was “saved.”
Second, Witkoff was supposed to make clear that the negotiations were about more than just Iran’s nuclear program. They were also supposed to include the insistence that Iran end its support for terror proxies in the Middle East and beyond. But that point seems to have been overlooked in Witkoff’s presentation during the meeting.
Third, Witkoff confirmed the day before the meeting that a key objective of the talks was the total dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program. He went on to tell The Wall Street Journal, however, “that doesn’t mean, by the way, at the margin we’re not going to find other ways to find compromise between our two countries. Where our red line will be, there can’t be weaponization of your nuclear capability.” Witkoff’s signal of a concession on the critical objective before the negotiations even began made people nervous.
Nervousness turned to anger when Witkoff confirmed after the meeting that he made no demand for the total shutdown of Iran’s nuclear program. Instead, he said it would be enough to limit the program and control it.
Hawkish national security experts were aghast. They noted that if Witkoff’s goal was to reach an agreement to allow the program to continue with periodic inspections, he could have asked Tehran to simply re-sign the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action from the Obama administration — the very agreement that Trump withdrew from seven years ago and has derided ever since.
Witkoff met the criticism head-on and didn’t back down. He insisted that the Islamic Republic could maintain a program enriching uranium up to the JCPOA limit, but no more. That was step one. Those comments sparked concern in the White House and prompted a meeting in the Situation Room between Trump and his top national security team to address strategy and goals in the Iran negotiations.
Witkoff then reversed his position (which was step two) and proclaimed that the president’s position is to eliminate Iran’s ability to enrich uranium (the fuel needed for a nuclear weapon) insisting that “Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.” And he said that had been his objective all along. That was step three.
Witkoff isn’t a diplomat. We are sure he is doing the best he can and trying to follow his president’s lead. But he’s being asked to take on very high-level assignments that are usually reserved for the most senior and experienced diplomatic players.
If Trump wants to use his A-Team in the Iran negotiations, he should consider contacting his secretary of state. ■