US special envoy to West Asia, Steve Witkoff

US special envoy to West Asia, Steve Witkoff, said on Saturday that US President Donald Trump is "curious" as to why Iran has not "capitulated" to US demands to strike a deal on its nuclear program.

Speaking to Lara Trump, the president`s daughter-in-law on Fox news, Witkoff said, "The president asked me that this morning, and he`s - I don`t wanna use the word frustrated... because he understands he`s got plenty of alternatives, but... he`s curious as to why they haven`t, I don`t wanna use the word capitulated, but why they haven`t capitulated."

He added that Trump is wondering "why, under this pressure, with the amount of sea power and naval power over there, why haven`t they come to us and said, `we profess we don`t want a weapon, so here`s what we`re prepared to do?`"

Claiming that Iran has enriched uranium beyond levels needed for civilian purposes, Witkoff said that Trump`s red lines require Iran to maintain "zero enrichment" of uranium.

He also confirmed in the interview that he had met with Reza Pahlavi, "I met him at the direction of the president," he said, without providing further details.

While the interview came in the backdrop of Iran-US tensions, on one hand, Trump is constantly calling upon Iran to "make a deal," while on the other hand, he is continuously increasing military presence in the region.

Meanwhile, Tehran has also constantly stated that it would respond decisively to any act of fresh military adventurism, as in the case of the US attacks last June, which prompted a ballistic missile barrage against Al Udeid, Washington`s most important regional airbase, which is located in Qatar.