US President Donald Trump’s outreach to Iran’s Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a possible new nuclear deal is an attempt to avoid direct military action, US special envoy Steve Witkoff has said. This comes after Trump sent a letter to the Iranian leadership seeking to engage in talks over Iran’s nuclear activities and warning of potential military action if it refused. Trump has also threatened Tehran over any support for the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen. There is little trust in Iran in US negotiation commitments after Trump in 2018 pulled the US out of a landmark nuclear deal. Since Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the accord, Iran has accelerated its enrichment of uranium to up to 60 percent purity – a step away from the 90 percent level needed for weapons-grade uranium. 

Read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/23/us-wants-to-negotiate-with-iran-on-nuclear-programme-us-envoy