US President Donald Trump is trying to prevent an armed conflict with Iran by building trust with Tehran, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said in an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson, published on the social network "Ex".
Witkoff also said that Trump's recent letter to the leadership of the Islamic Republic was not intended as a threat.
In the interview with Carlson, the US special envoy for the Middle East pointed out that Trump has the military advantage and it would be more natural for the Iranians to insist on a diplomatic solution.
"Instead, Trump is the one who wants a diplomatic solution," the US representative said regarding the letter.
"In general, it says, "I am a president of peace. This is what I want. There is no reason to take military action. We need to talk," Witkoff explained.
"We need to create a verification program so that nobody has to worry about your nuclear material being weaponized . . . because the alternative is not a very good alternative," he added.
Witkoff said U.S. discussions with Iran are continuing through "multiple countries and multiple channels."
Trump is "open to the possibility of cleaning up the U.S. relationship with Iran, where they can come back into the world and be a great country again . . . He wants to build trust with them," the U.S. envoy said.