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Iran is at an “inflection point” and has no good alternatives to making a deal with Washington, a senior US official said on Thursday as President Donald Trump claimed Tehran is desperate to make an agreement to end the war.
The comments at Mr Trump's Cabinet meeting in the White House came amid mixed signals about the prospects for a diplomatic breakthrough to end the conflict, which hits the one-month mark on Saturday.
“Just so we set the record straight … they are begging to make a deal, not me,” Mr Trump said. “They’re lousy fighters, but they’re great negotiators, and they are begging to work out a deal.”
White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington had given Iran with a 15-point action list for a peace deal. He said the Pakistani government had presented the proposal and is acting as a mediator.
Mr Witkoff said the US wants to “convince Iran that this is the inflection point with no good alternatives for them, other than more death and destruction”.
He added that a deal would be “great” for Iran, and for “the entire region and the world at large”.
In talks held before the war, Mr Witkoff said Iranian officials told him they had enough enriched uranium for 11 nuclear bombs and that they believed Tehran had an “inalienable right to enrich”.
“Finally, we heard the following statement: They would not give up diplomatically, but we could not win militarily. In other words, they were again miscalculating,” he said.
Iran has denied taking part in any talks with the US, despite a senior Pakistani official confirming that negotiations were continuing.
Tehran has also tightened its control over the Strait of Hormuz, using the shipping route as leverage over the global economy. Israel, meanwhile, has said it will press ahead with more strikes.
Mr Trump on Thursday added that Iran still had an opportunity to abandon its nuclear ambitions, but said that “in the meantime, we’ll continue our strikes without interruption”.
He has framed Iran’s willingness to negotiate as evidence of the regime’s weakening position.
He said Iran had given the US a goodwill “present” in the form of 10 oil tankers that transited the Strait of Hormuz. He said he thought the vessels were Pakistani-flagged but did not say where they were headed.
Even as talks continue, the Trump administration is sending thousands more US troops to the region, underscoring the continued risk of escalation despite talk of a deal.
