Mahmoud Nabavian, a member of Iran’s parliament as well as a notable critic of the JCPOA, stated that Steve Witkoff agreed to travel to Oman for the talks at Iran’s request. According to a quote from Nabavian: “They (the US) said (Marco) Rubio should come, but we said Witkoff should come, and they accepted.”

During a press briefing, in response to a question regarding Ali Shamkhani’s threat of expelling IAEA inspectors, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated: “First of all, these actions – the threat of that kind of action, of course, is inconsistent with Iran’s claims of a peaceful nuclear program. All right? Also, expelling IAEA inspectors from Iran would be an escalation and a miscalculation on Iran’s part. The United States remains deeply concerned that Iran is amassing a growing stockpile of highly enriched uranium for which there is no credible peaceful purpose. Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state producing highly enriched uranium at this level. Also, beyond the threat to expel the international nuclear inspectors but also threatening to transfer its stock of uranium to secret locations – and again, why would one need to do that if it was for peaceful energy work? It doesn’t make much sense. So again, it is an escalation and a miscalculation on Iran’s part if they were to do so.”

The Department of Treasury announced new sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program, “designating five entities and one individual based in Iran for their support to key entities that manage and oversee Iran’s nuclear program, including the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and the AEOI-subordinate Iran Centrifuge Technology Company (TESA).” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized that “Treasury will continue to leverage our tools and authorities to disrupt any attempt by Iran to advance its nuclear program and its broader destabilizing agenda.”

During a press conference at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump announced that he will be holding direct talks with Iran: “We’re having direct talks with Iran. They’ve started, it’ll go on Saturday, we have a very big meeting and we’ll see what can happen. And I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious. And the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with, or frankly that Israel wants to be involved with if they can avoid it. So, we’re going to see if we can avoid it. But it’s getting to be very dangerous territory, and hopefully those talks will be successful. And I think it would be in Iran’s best interest if they are successful. We hope that’s going to happen.”

Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, responded to Trump’s warnings that there will be bombings if there is no deal. Larijani declared, “We are not moving towards (nuclear) weapons, but if you do something wrong in the Iranian nuclear issue, you will force Iran to move towards that because it has to defend itself.” “Iran does not want to do this, but … (it) will have no choice,” he added. “If at some point you (the US) move towards bombing by yourself or through Israel, you will force Iran to make a different decision.” This is among the most explicit suggestions from a senior Iranian figure that the Supreme Leader’s prohibition on securing nuclear weapons would be revisited amid war.

President Trump, in a telephone interview, declared “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing. It will be bombing the likes of which they (Iran) have never seen before.” Trump continued, “There’s a chance that if they don’t make a deal, that I will do secondary tariffs on them like I did four years ago.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in an interview that there is no ban on Iran’s economic relations with the United States. According to Araghchi, “One criticism of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) is that it did not pave the way for American businesses to engage commercially with Iran. However, this limitation originated from the United States itself, as it only lifted secondary sanctions under the JCPOA while primary sanctions remained in place, effectively preventing American individuals from doing business with Iran.”  He also added, “Nevertheless, the U.S. did introduce some exceptions within its primary sanctions, including permissions for aircraft purchases and a few other limited activities. Immediately after the JCPOA, we began negotiations to purchase airplanes from Boeing in the U.S. and Airbus in Europe. Contracts were signed for approximately 80 aircraft, and had the JCPOA remained in effect, these deliveries would likely have started last year. Thus, we have no barriers on our side to trade with the United States; the restrictions exist only from the American side.”

In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Trump diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff outlined the administration’s approach toward Iran. When asked by Carlson if President Trump’s preference is for diplomacy instead of war with Iran, Witkoff stated: “Yes, that’s fair… Look, he sent a letter to the Iranians. Usually, it would be the Iranians reaching out to him, especially since their air defenses were severely weakened after the attack from Israel. They’re open to attack today. Iran is a small country compared to ours, and if we used overwhelming force, it would be very, very bad for them. And this is not a threat. I’m not threatening here—this isn’t me issuing a threat. If the Iranians hear this, they should know it’s the president who has that authority. Under these circumstances, it would make sense for Iran to reach out diplomatically. Instead, it’s the president who initiated contact. And I can tell you, he’s not doing this from a position of weakness. He’s not a weak man—he’s one of the strongest men I’ve ever met, maybe the strongest. Even those who dislike him would have to acknowledge that.” When asked by Carlson about the contents of Trump’s letter, Witkoff replied: “It roughly said, ‘I’m a president of peace. That’s what I want. There’s no reason for us to do this militarily. We should talk, clear up misconceptions, and create a verification program so no one has to worry about the weaponization of your nuclear material.’ He wants to get to that place because the alternative isn’t good for anyone. That’s a rough summary. And the president has publicly stated this, so it’s not top secret. The Iranians have reached back out, and I’m not at liberty to talk about the specifics, but through back channels, multiple countries, and various conduits, they reached back out. I believe there’s a real possibility of a diplomatic solution—not because I’ve spoken to anyone in Iran, but because logically, it makes sense. The president has indicated he’s open to helping Iran clean it all up, come back to the world and be a great nation again, free from sanctions and able to grow their economy. These are very smart people. Their economy was once wonderful. Today, they’re being strangled and suffocated. There’s no need for that to happen. They can join the League of nations, and we can build and grow a better relationship. That’s the alternative he’s presenting.” When Carlson suggested that the President wants “to deal with Iran with respect and build trust,” Witkoff replied: “Exactly. And hopefully, the Iranians will respond positively. I think anything can be solved through dialogue, by clearing up misconceptions and miscommunications and disconnects between people. I’m certainly hopeful for it. And yet, the president doesn’t want to go to war. He’ll use military action only to stop a war, not to start one. In this case, hopefully, it won’t be necessary, and hopefully we can resolve it at the negotiating table.” Carlson suggested “I hope for our sake you wind up in Tehran” to negotiate a deal, leading Witkoff to say: “I hope I do too, or someone else from the administration. This is a bit more complicated because it involves nuclear issues, which require technical expertise. But I think it’ll begin with the president or someone from his team—maybe me, maybe others. I’ll welcome the opportunity if I’m involved.”

President Trump posted on Truth Social on recent strikes on Yemen, putting the onus on Iran to rein in the actions of Houthi rebels in Yemen. His posted stated:
“Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN. Any further attack or retaliation by the “Houthis” will be met with great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there. Iran has played “the innocent victim” of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control. They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, “Intelligence.” Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!”

The United States launched large-scale strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen reportedly aimed at countering the group’s continued attacks on global shipping in the Red Sea, which had recently declined amid the ceasefire in Gaza. The strikes reportedly killed at least 53 people – including five children. U.S. officials indicated that were reportedly meant to serve as a warning to Iran to halt its ongoing support for the Houthis. In response to the strikes and accompanying warnings, Iran’s top IRGC Commander, Hossein Salami, stated in response that the Houthis maintain their own strategic decisions and are independent. Salami continued that “We warn our enemies that Iran will respond decisively and destructively if they take their threats into action.”