US open to compromise ahead of Iran nuclear talks: Report

WASHINGTON

The US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said it is the White House's "red line" to prevent nuclear weaponization of Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

“I think our position begins with dismantlement of your program. That is our position today,” Witkoff, who will lead the talks with Iran Saturday in Oman for the US, told The Wall Street Journal.

“That doesn’t mean, by the way, that at the margin we’re not going to find other ways to find compromise between the two countries," he said.

His remarks came after the White House said President Donald Trump's "ultimate goal" is to ensure that Iran can "never" obtain a nuclear weapon.

“Where our red line will be, there can’t be weaponization of your nuclear capability,” Witkoff said.

According to the report, the envoy said he would take the issue to Trump to determine how to proceed, if Tehran refuses to eliminate its nuclear program.

He said the initial meeting “is about trust building. It is about talking about why it is so important for us to get to a deal, not the exact terms of the deal.”

Any agreement, he said, would require substantial verification measures to ensure Iran is not working on a bomb, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Iran and world powers signed a nuclear agreement in 2015 for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018.

Trump says Iran must not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and has warned of military action if the talks do not succeed.

Iran, meanwhile, argues its nuclear program is for civilian energy purposes only.