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WATCH IN FULL: US special envoy Steve Witkoff speaks to GB News as Donald Trump's war on Iran rages
Mar 11, 2026
Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East and special envoy for peace missions, spoke to GB News last night in a wide-ranging interview amid Donald Trump's war in Iran.Mr Witkoff joined Ben Leo on The Late Show Live to discuss the state of the "special relationship", whether Mr Trump may be looking for an off-ramp to the conflict, and more.The special envoy, alongside the President's son-in-law Jared Kushner, was tasked with negotiating with the Iranians on their nuclear programme before the war started.He revealed how Tehran's negotiators "lectured us" on how Iran had the "inalienable right" to enrich uranium.Mr Witkoff said he was told that Iran had almost half a tonne of 60 per cent enriched uranium - and was as little as a week away from weapons-grade nuclear material.He went on to offer vital insights into the "buoyant" President's thinking on striking Iran, and his ultimatum to the Islamic Republic in bringing an end to the war...WATCH STEVE WITKOFF'S INTERVIEW IN FULL ABOVE
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0:00
Mr. Wyckoff, thank you very much for joining GB News and The Late Show Live
0:03
Ten days after this conflict with Iran started, the UK has finally launched a Type 45 destroyer
0:09
from Portsmouth Naval Base. It's on the way to the Middle East. Is it a case, Mr. Wyckoff, of too little too late or better late than never
0:18
when it comes to our participation in this conflict? Well, I think you heard what the president said
0:26
We've, you know, we value support. We value alliances. The U.K. relationship with the United States is a critical one
0:36
But I'm going to let the president comment on the destroyer. He has said, as you know, that it is a little bit, it does fall into the category of too
0:48
little, too late. But I think they have a good, solid relationship, and hopefully they'll be able to repair it
0:56
Can I just ask you generally, before we get stuck into Iran, about the UK-US relationship and your perception, the US perception of our reliability as an ally
1:06
Because Secretary Rubio said last year that when our Prime Minister Keir Starmer recognised Palestine as a state, for example, during those crucial Hamas-Israel negotiations that you were leading, that it almost scuppered the peace process
1:20
Has it been a case of one too many examples of where our prime minister, Keir Starmer, has maybe spoken out of turn or done something to to upset that special relationship
1:34
Well, you know, look, I go by what the president says, and I think the president first, the president says continuously that everybody is entitled to their point of view
1:44
But I think sometimes we detect that there's not that feeling of gratitude
1:51
I think the president's position is that we do plenty for Europe, plenty for the U.K.
1:58
in the area of trade, in the area of defense, in the area of the support we give to NATO
2:04
And I think sometimes the response back, the reciprocity back is a little bit lacking
2:11
I would leave it at that. OK, I understand you don't want to get drawn into that too much. I appreciate the answer
2:18
Mr. Wyckoff, there are reports breaking in the past few moments that Iran is or is at least planning to plot mines in the Strait of Hormuz to disrupt the international gas markets, the oil markets
2:31
Are you aware of that? Have you got any information you can tell us on that? And if that is the case or will be the case, what would the U.S. response be, please
2:37
I think it would be a very silly escalation of this conflict
2:45
It won't be effective. We'll be able to keep it open. We will keep it open
2:49
The president has stated that unequivocally. We will do what's necessary to defend freedom of transit
2:56
And I think that going up against President Trump has proved to be a very bad idea
3:07
Is there any situation, Mr. Wyckoff, where President Trump would look for, or the administration
3:14
at least look for an off to this conflict say gas prices oil prices just went stratospheric the markets reacted as we seen how they do they very volatile in recent days up and down
3:26
Is there anything that would prompt the president to try and end this conflict prematurely if
3:32
the markets got too out of control? Well, I don't think the president is going to let the markets dictate his decision
3:39
He feels strong in his belief that the regime has to change its ways or there's got to be a different regime
3:49
We can't live. We can see the scourge of Iran. We can see how it's playing out
3:55
Everybody thought the ballistic missile inventory that they had was was not a threat to them
4:01
It was only going to be a threat to little Satan Israel and big Satan the United States
4:05
And guess what? Everyone's being deleteriously affected by it. So allowing a nation like this to get to a nuclear weapon, it's unconscionable
4:17
They boasted at the table with me and Jared that they had material that was a week and a half to 10 days away from weapons grade
4:27
That would be enough to make 11 bombs. if the president didn't courageously make this decision
4:33
we'd wake up in a year and there'd be the possibility of them having 25 or 30 bombs
4:39
And sometimes you have to make tough decisions and there are sacrifices to be made
4:44
I went with the president to Dover to receive the bodies of the six families
4:51
the bodies of the six servicemen who were killed being met by their families
4:57
And it was a somber experience. And I'll tell you, Ben, what what everybody commented to the president, to everyone, every family said, please don't let our these deaths be in vain
5:13
Please let them count for something. Please make sure that you finish this action and you achieve your objectives
5:23
Because in some cases, our children, in other cases, a husband, a son, a wife
5:32
they were there for a reason and they believed in the mission
5:37
And this is what all of these families told the president. and it resonated with him and it resonated with everybody who was there that day
5:45
It was a pivotal moment, I would call it. Yeah, and can I just extend my condolences on behalf of GB News and Britain as well
5:56
for the servicemen and women you've lost already in this conflict. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as a fierce ally of the United States
6:06
We get this argument, Mr. Wyckoff, in the UK, particularly from those on the left of the argument who say the Iranians didn't want this
6:14
Despite the scenes we saw on the streets after the first strike last Saturday, 10 days ago
6:18
despite the joyous celebrations from the Iranian protesters, and indeed those who gave their lives protesting many, many months ago
6:26
when President Trump was saying help is on the way. This argument now, this sort of rhetoric is that the Iranians didn't want any of this
6:32
They don't want bombs falling on their heads. They don want schools being blown up quite frankly with children dying Whoever responsible about still being investigated Is it the case do you think from your understanding that the Iranian people do want this kind of military intervention They do want the United States to be launching
6:50
this military intervention? Well, I think we have to separate what the Iranian people want
6:58
and what the regime wanted. It was clear to Jared and I, we were there as a fiduciary on behalf of
7:04
President Trump and the United States people. And we were there to make a deal. And the president
7:09
instructed us to use our best efforts to get to a deal if we could. The last, the first of three
7:16
sessions that me and Jared just recently ran began with their negotiator lecturing us on the fact
7:25
that they believe that Iran had the inalienable right to enrich. They followed that comment up
7:31
with the following comment. We have 460 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium
7:39
We're a week and a half away or a week away even from weapons grade 90 percent
7:45
And that's 11 bombs. And you ought to take that seriously. That was their statement to us
7:51
And then finally, their other statement to us, and there's many other data points that I could cite
7:57
was they're not going to allow us diplomatically to take what we couldn't win militarily
8:01
Now, we did plenty. We destroyed their three enrichment and conversion facilities, conversion being a very important part of the enrichment process
8:13
Those three facilities existed at Natanz, Esfahan, and Fordow. We did that, but they make their own centrifuges there, Ben
8:21
And they were able to reconstitute a little bit since Midnight Hammer
8:27
It shows you how clever they are and what their mission statement is
8:30
And I think that all of these things taken together, including that they refused every entreaty we made to them, offering them free fuel in return for no enrichment, I think that would show you that they had no intention of wanting to do a deal that would meet the objectives that were outlined by President Trump
8:51
And that's the assessment Jared and I made, and that's the assessment that we came back and told the president and his foreign policy team
9:00
Okay. Finally, Mr. Wyckoff, Keir Starmer, our Prime Minister, he said last week that the United States should try and come to some sort of deal or negotiation with the Islamist regime
9:12
I know President Trump, I think he indirectly responded to that on Truth Social the following morning by saying no deal, unconditional surrender, nothing on the table, no deal whatsoever
9:22
Has that changed now? How does the end of this conflict look? Could you still come to some sort of deal
9:27
or is the president still insisting on unconditional surrender, whatever that looks like
9:33
Well, first of all, the president had us at the table trying to get a deal done
9:38
He didn't want this war, and he's not one from the forever war camp
9:45
The Houthi affair, you know, war, lasted for 30 days and then it was over
9:51
Midnight hammer, 12 days and then it was over. This is not about starting a war and staying in a long conflict This is about peace through strength and finding objectives that are good for the world good for that region good for the United States
10:10
And if we have to do it kinetically, we will. And if we can get it done diplomatically, that's preferable
10:17
I think if the Iranians were to come to us and they were to meet all of the objectives
10:24
that we set forth in that negotiation, I think that the president would give it serious consideration if he felt that they were genuine in that in that approach to us, that they would abide by it and that there was no chance of them breaking that deal later on, particularly after he left office, which, you know, they may there
10:45
He's a very strong president. He wants to make sure that he locks this deal down
10:48
Now, this is the moment. And when could that happen, do you think? because the president was saying we're almost there, but then the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth
10:56
suggesting things have only just begun. So what's your take just finally, Mr. Wyckoff? And I
11:01
appreciate your time. Thank you. Well, well, first of all, the defense, the Secretary of War
11:06
Pete Hegseth, who's an extraordinary Secretary of War, just a very committed man. He was saying
11:14
that there's more that we can do. It's ultimately the president's decision if he wants to stop or
11:20
not. But when I think, but I don't think the president was, I was there yesterday when he
11:24
commented about this. I don't think he was commenting about ending something right now
11:30
He, his comment on ending it is, is we could end it if they meet all of our objectives
11:37
And they know what those objectives are. I think the president was saying we're almost there
11:42
And what he, what, what I interpreted he meant by saying was that we're way ahead of where we
11:48
thought we would be at this point in the conflict. And we are. We've cleared the skies. We can bomb
11:56
with impunity. That's not to say that we want to. It's to make a statement to the Iranian regime
12:04
that this can't go well for you. And you ought to be giving that a lot of thought. And if there's
12:11
a possibility, if you want to meet our objectives, then we're all ears. We're ready to listen
12:16
I think that's that's in large part what he what he was saying
12:21
How is the president? You're with him in Florida yesterday. Is he in a good mood? Is he still confident that things are going well? He's buoyant, is he
12:28
He's he's buoyant. He's in a very good mood. I think he feels he's doing what's right for for the people of the world
12:37
And we can't look at what's going on over there. I mean, this this this it's so chaotic
12:43
These people are just not great people, and it needs to be dealt with
12:48
And, you know, it takes a lot of courage to do something like this. But I think you're beginning to see all the Middle Eastern countries have complete buy-in to this program
12:59
because there are sacrifices that are going to be made. This is the great men
13:04
I said this to the president the other day. Great men in very, very difficult decisions measure up to great decisions
13:14
And he is a great man, and he's a great decision maker
13:18
And thank God we have him
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