US demanding any nuclear deal with Iran last indefinitely — report

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told a private gathering this week that the administration is demanding any nuclear deal with Iran should remain in effect indefinitely, Axios reports, citing a US official and two others with knowledge of the comments.

Trump is pressuring the Iranian government in the wake of its violent crackdown on protesters and has amassed a large US naval presence in the region while threatening military strikes if Tehran does not reach a deal to solve a longstanding dispute over its nuclear program.

According to Axios, Witkoff told AIPAC donors that the administration does not want any deal to have “sunset clauses,” which would expire after a time, like those that existed in the Obama administration’s 2015 deal.

“We start with the Iranians with the premise that there is no sunset provision. Whether we get a deal or not, our premise is: you have to behave for the rest of your lives,” Witkoff is quoted as saying.

He also is reported to have said that though Washington is currently focusing on the nuclear issue, it will want to deal with Iran’s missile program and its support for regional proxy groups down the road.

Ahead of tomorrow’s next round of talks — seen as the make-or-break moment for diplomacy — an Israeli source tells Channel 12 Jerusalem does not believe Iran will meet the minimal American threshold, opening the way for military action.