Witkoff, Kushner join CENTCOM chief aboard US aircraft carrier
CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper, US envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, who are leading negotiations with Iran, boarded the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier on Feb. 7 in an apparent signal of military resolve to Iran.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said he hopes Iran chooses a negotiated path but warned that Tehran may face another “kick of a mule” if it refuses President Donald Trump’s demands.
“You would think they'd learned something” from the US June strikes on their nuclear facilities, Huckabee told PBS. “In the South, where I grew up, we say there's no education in the second kick of a mule. They got a real kick of a mule last summer. I'm wondering, did they get any education from that one?”
“If not, they may stand behind the mule again,” he added. “And there probably won't be much education in the second kick of a mule.”
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff who was visiting USS Abraham Lincoln on Saturday said the United States is showing the world the meaning of readiness and determination, and its forces are in a state of constant alert.
“We thanked the sailors and Marines, observed live flight operations, and spoke with the pilot who downed an Iranian drone that approached the carrier without clear intent.”
“Proud to stand with the men and women who defend our interests, deter our adversaries, and show the world what American readiness and resolve look like, on watch every day.”
A senior Iranian reformist has accused security bodies of deliberately escalating and even staging violence including alleged killings among their own ranks to legitimize a sweeping crackdown on protests, sharply disputing the official narrative blaming foreign actors.
Ali Shakouri-Rad said the protests on January 8 and 9 were a predictable outcome of years of accumulated social discontent, even if the scale of the response surprised political factions and security institutions alike.
Shakouri-Rad rejected remarks promoted by official media that foreign intelligence services or opposition networks orchestrated the violence.
“I do not believe this, and I think many people do not believe it either,” he said, referring to claims that Israel’s Mossad or networks associated with exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi were responsible for the violence.
Shakouri-Rad said the breadth of demonstrations across almost 400 cities exceeded expectations across Iran’s political spectrum. “Reformists, conservatives and the security institutions did not think this many people would respond to Reza Pahlavi’s call,” he said.
"President Trump's envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited on Saturday together with CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper the USS Abraham Lincoln which is stationed in the Arabian sea not far from Iran," Axios reported on Saturday citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.
The two officials were invited to visit the carrie by the commander of US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, CNN reported citing a senior US official.
The intention of the trip was to express gratitude for the American service members in the region, according to the official speaking to CNN.
Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran opposes removing uranium from the country but is prepared to reduce the level of enrichment.
“Our main position is opposition to any removal of uranium from the country, but we are ready to reduce the enrichment ratio,” Araghchi told Aljazeera Arabic on Saturday.
Iran does not seek a regional war, he said, adding that regional countries share the same view, but warned that “any US attack would overshadow this.”