Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff failed to understand key information about Iran’s nuclear capabilities just as the Middle East conflict was breaking out, according to a report.
Witkoff, a former real estate mogul with no prior experience in diplomacy, led the U.S. delegation in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear deal in Geneva in the weeks before the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Tehran.
When the talks broke down and war erupted on Feb. 28, Witkoff briefed reporters on Iran’s nuclear program and did so again days later on March 3. One expert who reviewed Witkoff’s remarks suggested to Reuters that Trump’s longtime golf buddy showed “technical incompetence” in his statements, misread Iran’s proposals, and vastly inflated the country’s threat.
Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association, a Washington, D.C.-based group that advocates for effective arms control policies, said Witkoff appeared to exaggerate Iran’s limited uranium enrichment to suggest it was at a level capable of developing a nuclear weapon.
Davenport added that another major blunder from Witkoff was referring to Iran’s IR-6 uranium-enrichment centrifuge as “probably the most advanced centrifuge in the world,” when in reality it is not even among the most advanced in Iran.
“Witkoff does not need to be a nuclear expert to negotiate a good deal. But if he’s not, he should be surrounded by people who are,” Davenport told Reuters.
It was also reported that during the last-ditch talks in Geneva, neither Witkoff nor Jared Kushner—Trump’s son-in-law, who is married to the president’s daughter Ivanka—brought along any U.S. nuclear specialists for advice.
One senior European diplomat said that without such expert assistance, Witkoff and Kushner struggled to grasp the significance of different levels of enriched uranium and how they are used, and had to have it explained to them.
“How can you negotiate when you don’t understand the fundamentals?” the diplomat told Reuters.
The Trump administration has attempted to justify the war in Iran by claiming it is vital to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons and that the country was plotting to attack the U.S. or its military bases.
In March, Joe Kent resigned as director of the National Counterterrorism Center and announced in a bombshell letter that Iran posed “no imminent threat” to the U.S.
The details about Witkoff’s ignorance were part of a broader feature on how Trump has upended diplomatic norms in his second term, including funneling much of his envoy work through Witkoff and Kushner.
As well as leading the Iran nuclear talks, Witkoff has also been tasked with trying to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as well as broker a peace deal to end the four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and Witkoff for comment.
