The US administration hopes to resolve the situation with Iran diplomatically, but Tehran must meet four conditions.
This was stated by US Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff at a conference of the Israel-America Council in Florida.
Iran must make a compromise because its economy is “in dire straits”, Witkoff said. Among the conditions, he mentioned uranium enrichment, reducing Tehran's stockpiles of missiles and nuclear material, and providing guarantees. According to the special envoy, Iran currently has approximately 2,000 kilograms of enriched nuclear material, with various estimates ranging from 3.67% to 60%.
“If they want to return to the League of Nations, we can resolve these four issues diplomatically, and that would be a great solution. The alternative is bad“, he added. Asked if he had a message for the people of Iran who want the regime to fall, he replied: “These are incredibly brave people, and we stand with them.“
In early January, the US administration publicly raised the possibility of military intervention in Iran for the first time. On January 2, Trump wrote on Truth Social that if Iran began to violently suppress protests, the US would “come to the aid“ of the demonstrators. A White House spokesman confirmed that this specifically refers to a potential military response, adding that the American leader has repeatedly demonstrated that he keeps his word.
At least one US aircraft carrier will be deployed to the Middle East by the end of January amid tensions with Iran, Fox News reports. Earlier, for the first time, the region was left without a US air strike group during the peak of the escalating situation with Iran. Analysts at Eurasia Group believe that this reinforcement will increase the likelihood of a strike against Iran and that this threat will remain high through the first half of 2026.