Donald Trump is going to appoint Steve Witkoff on the Iran file, officials said

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Donald Trump is set to nominate Steve Wittkoff, his Middle East envoy to Washington’s Iran threat, as the US president is willing to test diplomacy before ramping up pressure on Tehran, people familiar with the matter said.

Witkoff, a real estate tycoon who played a key role in securing the Gaza ceasefire, is expected to lead efforts against Iran’s nuclear program amid Trump’s rhetoric to “end the hostilities” in the region, the people said.

Trump in 2016 World powers pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, imposed tough sanctions and warned it would be the “official end of Iran” if it fought Washington and pursued nuclear weapons.

During the transition, Trump’s team has taken steps to restore its “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran through new sanctions or tight control over existing measures.

But Trump and his aides have signaled in early meetings that they want to pave the way to avoid a wider conflict with Iran. Some Trump officials have told foreign diplomats and colleagues they expect Witkoff to lead efforts to see if diplomatic accommodation is possible.

“I don’t see the administration resorting to violence early in their tenure before at least trying to exhaust other avenues. This war is not consistent with the approach he started with Biden and he will stop them,” said a former Israeli official.

Since George W. Bush launched diplomatic efforts against Tehran’s nuclear program, various presidents have promoted senior officials to negotiate with Iran. It is unusual for a special envoy to take responsibility for both the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Washington’s relationship with Iran.

Wittkoff’s main focus remains the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire. Trump named first-term State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus, who has experience serving in the Middle East, as Witkoff’s deputy.

U.S. officials said Trump’s full statement to Tehran and Witkoff’s remit were still pending. But some of the US president’s appointees have formed a camp within the administration that is considering negotiations with Iran and is skeptical that Iran will end its nuclear program, which has been supported by the US and Israeli governments.

Michael DiMino, Trump’s new top Middle East official at the Pentagon, was a former CIA official who advocated restraint with Tehran at a Coke-funded think tank. Elbridge Colby, Trump’s nominee for policy secretary of defense, warned against any military action against Iran.

Others on Trump’s foreign policy team, including National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have taken a more aggressive approach. “We are open to any arrangement that will allow us to have security and stability in the region,” Rubio said at his confirmation hearing.

“We have no announcements to share at this time,” Trump NSC spokesman Brian Hughes said when asked about Witkoff’s role and the administration’s approach to Iran.

Western officials believe Iran is at its weakest point in decades after Israel’s multi-front war with Hamas and Hezbollah has waned significantly. Israel and the U.S. have said they took out most of their air defenses in retaliatory strikes against Iran last year, a denial by Tehran.

The Islamic Republic has also indicated it is open to talks, although analysts say it will be a challenge for Trump and Iran to agree on terms that could lead to a deal. The United Nations warned in December that Iran had taken steps to “dramatically” increase its uranium stockpile to near weapons-grade levels.

Trump in 2016 In 2018, the US withdrew from the nuclear deal between six world powers and Iran. Britain, France and Germany are trying to reach a coordinated approach with the US on what to do when that deal expires in October, diplomats said.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s vice president for strategic affairs, said in Davos this week that he hoped Trump would be “more serious, more focused, more realistic” in his dealings with Iran.

The US has failed to “convince” Iran of withdrawing from the Iran deal, but they acknowledge the huge economic toll on the Iranian people and government. “We’ve never had proxies,” he said when asked if he would consider a deal that would force Iran to stop supporting regional proxy groups.

Witkoff’s ability to control Iran’s affairs has alarmed some Iran hawks in Congress and elsewhere in Washington, who worry he would be too quick to pressure Iran into seeking a possible deal.

“He’s putting pressure on Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, and in the process, he’s putting American hostages in jeopardy,” said a senior Republican congressman. He keeps saying he knows what Trump wants, but he doesn’t understand what Trump believes.