Don't throw Islamic Republic a lifeline, exiled prince urges Witkoff

"The Secretary (Marco Rubio) has been clear, as has the President, as has been the ambassador (Steve Witkoff) that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon or an enrichment program," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

The remarks come after US envoy Steve Witkoff said Iran must end its nuclear enrichment in any deal, appearing to reverse his suggestion in an interview which aired on Monday evening that a 3.67% enrichment cap would suffice.

"No one's negotiating in public," Bruce continued. "What matters is an end result - are parties agreeing, papers being signed. It is not what people say, but the actions they take."

"(Trump) held a call with the Sultan of Oman today, and he thanked him for hosting the first direct meeting between the United States and Iran and emphasized the need for Iran to end its nuclear program through negotiations," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday.

Asked if Trump seeks the dismantling of Iran's nuclear program or simply curbs on enrichment, Leavitt said: "The president does not want to see Iran have a nuclear program, he does not want Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. He's been very clear about this."

"Completely agree with Special Envoy Witkoff’s statement that any deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program cannot include an enrichment capability because that is how you make a nuclear weapon," Senator Lindsey Graham said in a post on his X account Tuesday.

US envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday said Iran must eliminate its nuclear enrichment program after suggesting in an interview with Fox News the previous evening that Washington would tolerate some enrichment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday cited a social media post by Iran’s Supreme Leader highlighting an earlier statement calling for the destruction of Israel as a sign of Iranian duplicity as it carries out talks with the United States.

“This is a post that the dictator of Iran Ayatollah Khamenei released today in which he explains why Israel must be destroyed. He is doing this during the negotiations with the Americans,” said the Israeli leader in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

“We are fighting for our existence,” Netanyahu said during a heavily-guarded visit to the Gaza border, where he was joined by Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and top military commanders.

An infographic published on Khamenei’s website on Tuesday described “the effort to eliminate the Zionist regime from the region as a religious, human duty," citing his March 31 speech.

US President Donald Trump held a meeting on Tuesday morning in the White House situation room about the ongoing nuclear talks with Tehran, Axios reported citing two sources with direct knowledge.

Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA director John Ratcliffe, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz and other top officials were in attendance.

The White House sought to avoid an overlap between resumed US-Iran talks previously due to be held in Rome over the weekend and a visit by Vance to the Italian capital, the report added.

Iran said the venue would again be the Omani capital Muscat but the United States has yet to publicly comment on the matter.