Rubio, Witkoff Hold Closed-Door Congressional Briefing on Iran Negotiations
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff gave a closed-door briefing to members of Congress on the memorandum of understanding with Iran
Washington, PUREWILAYAH.COM – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff held a closed-door classified briefing for members of the US House of Representatives to provide updates on the memorandum of understanding with Iran and respond to lawmakers’ questions about the ongoing negotiations.
During the briefing, Rubio said the administration of President Donald Trump “is under no illusion” that negotiations with Iran will be easy or guaranteed to succeed, adding that Washington would judge Tehran based on its actions rather than its statements.
Rubio Outlines Washington’s Position
According to informed sources, Rubio told lawmakers that Iran is currently taking steps it had not taken in the past. He said the central objective of the negotiations is to reach an agreement that would prevent Iran from retaining highly enriched uranium.
Rubio and Witkoff also told lawmakers that Iran has not received any funds under the memorandum of understanding so far.
Acknowledging the difficulty of the negotiations, Rubio said:
“No one here is under the illusion that this is easy, or even likely to succeed in some cases. There is a reason this issue has continued for 47 years, but we are going to give it a chance.”
Republican Lawmaker Questions the Negotiation Process
The briefing also drew criticism from Republican Representative Rich McCormick, who questioned the rationale behind the memorandum of understanding and Washington’s decision to negotiate with Tehran.
“I do not understand the memorandum of understanding from the perspective of trying to reach an agreement with a country that has not honored any of its commitments in the past,” McCormick said.
He also expressed concern that lifting sanctions imposed before the war “could give the Iranians the impression that they emerged victorious.”
McCormick added:
“I simply do not understand why we would even consider dealing with these people in good faith in any way.”
Meanwhile, Witkoff briefed lawmakers on the latest developments in the negotiations, saying that the technical team handling the nuclear talks had left Switzerland for Qatar.
In the same context, Fox News quoted a US official as saying that technical discussions on the memorandum of understanding will continue this week. The report added that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will continue regional consultations with parties involved in discussions related to various aspects of the memorandum of understanding. (PW)