The White House signaled Thursday that President Donald Trump has opened a two-week window for renewed negotiations with Iran, even as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi prepares to meet with European leaders in Geneva on Friday.
During the daily press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said there was a “substantial chance” for diplomacy, noting that six rounds of direct and indirect communication between U.S. and Iranian officials occurred during the recent Israel–Iran crisis, which began on June 13.
Ms. Leavitt clarified that the role of U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in the Geneva talks remained uncertain.
Pressed by reporters, she declined to confirm whether Iranian officials might visit Washington for additional talks. “I am not going to get into hypotheticals,” she said, though she noted Tehran “has expressed interest” in further engagement.
On the brink of possible U.S. military action, Ms. Leavitt quoted the president as saying he will make a decision within two weeks — depending on whether diplomatic efforts succeed.
While insisting that Iran must agree to no uranium enrichment, Ms. Leavitt warned reporters: “Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon…it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon, which would…pose an existential threat not just to Israel, but to the United States and to the entire world.”
She added, “Iran is absolutely not able to achieve a nuclear weapon. The deal that Special Envoy Witkoff proposed to the Iranians was both realistic and acceptable.”
U.S. officials emphasized that Iran — weakened by Israeli military strikes — remains under pressure to “make a deal…or face grave consequences.”
Friday’s meeting in Geneva is expected to bring together Iran’s delegation and European ministers including France’s Jean-Noël Barrot, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and European Union foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas. According to the French outlet RFI, Mr. Barrot said, “France, Britain and Germany stand ready…to obtain from Iran a lasting rollback of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.”
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Thursday with Mr. Lammy, reiterating with U.K. and E.U. officials that “Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon,” according to a State Department summary.
Thursday’s remarks underscored an emerging split: while Mr. Trump’s aides open the door to negotiations, they maintain that any deal must strip Iran of its enrichment capabilities — a stipulation Tehran has so far refused to accept.
For now, the White House appears to be buying time. Ms. Leavitt noted that more than 30 aerial-refueling tankers have been redeployed to the Middle East, offering military readiness even as diplomacy unfolds.
