British Media Exposes Details of US-Iran Negotiations, "Kushner and Witzke Are Practically Israeli Insiders"

How do Kushner and Witkoff influence the course of the conflict?

【Text / Observer Network Qi Qian】

At the end of February, the US and Israel suddenly launched airstrikes on Iran, causing the Middle East situation to rapidly deteriorate. At that time, the US and Iran were still engaged in nuclear negotiations.

What exactly happened during the last negotiations in Geneva before the outbreak of war?

On March 17, The Guardian exclusively reported that British National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell attended that negotiation. He judged that the negotiations were progressing positively at the time, and Iran’s proposals regarding its nuclear program were significant and “unexpected,” potentially preventing a hasty war. However, two days after the negotiations ended, and with the next round scheduled, the US and Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran.

The report suggests this explains the stance of the Stamer government: Britain refused to support the war, considering the US attack illegal and rushed.

As for why President Trump chose to act, informed sources believe it may be related to the US negotiators—Trump’s son-in-law Kushner and Trump’s special envoy Witkoff. A Gulf state diplomat said: “We see Witkoff and Kushner as assets within Israel; they dragged a president who wanted to avoid war into one.”

“The UK believes negotiations were progressing positively”

Three sources confirmed Powell’s attendance at the negotiations on February 26 local time, and his in-depth understanding of the negotiations’ progress.

One source said Powell participated as an advisor.

This reflects widespread concern about the professionalism of the US negotiating team. The team was led by Kushner and Witkoff, and also invited IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to provide technical expertise.

Jonathan Powell (photo)

The Guardian states that Powell has extensive mediation experience. One person revealed he brought an expert from the UK Cabinet Office. A Western diplomat said: “Powell believed an agreement could be reached, although Iran had not fully agreed, especially on UN inspections of its nuclear facilities.”

A former official who listened to some briefings said: “Witkoff and Kushner did not bring a US technical team. They considered Grossi a technical expert, but that was not his role. So, Powell brought his own team.”

“The UK team was surprised by Iran’s proposals,” the former official added. “This isn’t a complete agreement, but it’s progress, and unlikely to be Iran’s final offer. The UK team expects the next round of negotiations to continue based on progress in Geneva.”

However, the scheduled next round of talks in Vienna on March 2 did not happen. Two days earlier, the US and Israel launched a full-scale attack.

The report indicates that Powell’s participation in the Geneva negotiations partly explains why the UK government was reluctant to support the US attack on Iran. This was the first clear indication of the UK’s deep involvement in negotiations, providing grounds to assess whether diplomatic options had been exhausted and whether military action was necessary. Currently, this UK stance has put unprecedented pressure on UK-US relations.

The report explains that the UK found no concrete evidence that Iran was about to launch missile attacks on Europe or acquire nuclear weapons. Instead, Britain considered the attack illegal and rushed, believing that negotiations to resolve Iran’s nuclear issue were still feasible.

In the last negotiations, Iran proposed…

Informed British officials mentioned they were impressed by Iran’s readiness to make the agreement permanent. Unlike the 2015 nuclear deal, this agreement would have no expiration date or “sunset clauses” to end restrictions on Iran’s program.

Iran agreed to dilute 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium under IAEA supervision and to not increase its uranium stockpile in the future.

In the final stages of negotiations, Iran also agreed to suspend domestic uranium enrichment activities for three to five years, but US representatives, after consulting with Trump, demanded a ten-year suspension. Reports say that in reality, due to the bombing of uranium enrichment facilities in 2025, Iran no longer has domestic uranium enrichment capacity.

Additionally, Iran proposed what mediators called a “major economic gift,” giving the US the opportunity to participate in Iran’s future civilian nuclear program.

In exchange, the US was asked to lift nearly 80% of Iran’s economic sanctions, including assets frozen in Qatar.

The Geneva US-Iran indirect talks were mediated by Oman. After the negotiations, Oman’s mediator believed Iran’s proposal of “zero uranium stockpile” was a breakthrough, bringing the agreement within reach.

Witkoff and Kushner (video screenshot)

Regarding what signals Kushner conveyed when leaving the negotiations, opinions vary: some believe he gave the impression that Trump would welcome the already reached agreements; others think US negotiators knew that to persuade Trump that war was not the best option, they needed to produce a very significant result.

A Gulf diplomat familiar with the negotiations bluntly said they see Witkoff and Kushner as “assets for Israel,” not US negotiators, and believe these two “dragged a president who wanted to avoid war into war.”

On the 17th local time, Welsh National Party MP Liz Saville Roberts cited The Guardian’s report during a parliamentary hearing and questioned UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

“Looks like diplomatic options are still viable, and there’s no evidence that Iran is about to launch missile attacks on Europe or acquire nuclear weapons,” Roberts told Cooper. “So, do you think the path of diplomacy between the US and Iran was still possible at that time? If so, doesn’t that mean the initial US-Israel strike was rushed and illegal?”

Cooper responded: “The UK indeed supported the diplomatic process. We believe this is an important track, and we hope it continues. That’s also one of the reasons for our position on the initial US strike.”

【This article is an exclusive report by Observer Network. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.】