White House says no meeting with Iran currently scheduled
Washington — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that the Trump administration doesn't have any meetings scheduled with Iran, one day after President Trump said that the U.S. and Iran would talk and meet "next week."
"We don't have anything scheduled as of now," Leavitt told reporters during Thursday's press briefing, adding that she spoke with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday morning and the administration continues to be in "close communication" with the Iranians and intermediaries such as the Qataris.
"We are in touch, and if there is a meeting, we will let you know, as we always do," Leavitt said.
Witkoff that his interactions with the Iranians had been "promising" and that the U.S. was "hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement that resurrects Iran."
The president floated talks during a Wednesday news conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, where he touted the success of a weekend Pentagon operation targeting Iranian nuclear sites.
"We're going to talk to them next week, with Iran," the president told reporters Wednesday. "We may sign an agreement, I don't know. ... If we got a document it wouldn't be bad. We're going to meet with them, actually. We're going to meet with them."
The president at the time didn't specify who would be involved in such a meeting or where it would take place, and the White House didn't offer further details. On Thursday, Leavitt explained the basic goal of any future meetings.
"We want to ensure we can get to a place where Iran agrees to a non-enrichment, civil nuclear program," Leavitt said. "And there are many other requests that the United States has."
The Trump administration is considering a range of options to entice Iran back to the negotiating table, a source familiar with the planning told CBS News.
Options include helping Iran to access $20 billion to $30 billion, so it can build a civilian, non-enrichment, energy-producing nuclear program, the source said. The funds would come not from the U.S., but from U.S. allies in the Middle East.
Sanctions relief is also under discussion — provided that Iran commits to zero enrichment of uranium. Another possibility is allowing Iranian authorities to access the $6 billion currently sitting in restricted foreign bank accounts. Administration officials have even considered encouraging Middle Eastern partners to pay for Iran to rebuild the Fordo nuclear facility as a non-enrichment operation. CNN first the potential options.
The Pentagon held a news conference Thursday morning defending the success of the strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend, and administration officials were set to brief lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Thursday afternoon.
The U.S. has been pushing for a direct meeting with Iran since the strikes, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sunday that "we have bent over backwards to create a deal with these people."
"What happens next will now depend on what Iran chooses to do next," Rubio said. "If they choose the path of diplomacy, we're ready."
