HOLLYWOOD, Florida — US special envoy Steve Witkoff suggested on Thursday that the Trump administration prefers a diplomatic resolution, rather than a military one, to the ongoing tensions with Iran, sparked by the regime’s deadly violence against protesters.

Asked in an onstage interview at the Israeli-American Council conference in Florida if he thinks a US military strike against Iran is likely, Witkoff responded, “I hope there’s a diplomatic resolution. I really do.”

The US envoy said a diplomatic agreement with Iran would address four issues: “(1) nuclear enrichment, (2) missiles — they have to cut back on their inventory; (3) the actual [nuclear] material that they have, which is roughly 2000 kilograms enriched anywhere between 3.67 percent and 60%; and (4) the proxies.

He suggested that Iran may be willing to compromise on all four issues because its economy is in such dire straits.

“If they want to come back to the league of nations, we can solve those four problems diplomatically, then that would be a great resolution. The alternative is a bad one,” he said.

Asked if he has a message to the people of Iran who want the regime to fall, Witkoff responded, “They’re incredibly courageous people, and we stand with you.”

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if the regime killed protesters, something it did to the tune of several thousand.

But on Wednesday, Trump announced that Tehran had notified him that the killing of protesters had stopped, leading to speculation that Washington

© The Times of Israel