Trump confused about why Iran hasnt capitulated over US military build - up , envoy Steve Witkoff says

lbc.co.uk · Feb 22, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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The US military presence in the region has increased in recent weeks, putting pressure on Iran 22 Feb 2026, 19:17 | Updated: 3h ago TOPSHOT-US-IRAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT-TRUMP. Picture: Getty By Scarlett Stokes The US president's special envoy Steve Witkoff has said that Donald Trump is questioning why Iran has not yet “capitulated” amid the build-up of US military forces in the Middle East. Loading audio... Speaking to Fox News on Saturday, Witkoff said that Trump was "curious" about Iran's position.“I don't want to use the word 'frustrated'... because he [Trump] understands he's got plenty of alternatives, but he's curious as to why they haven't... I don't want to use the word 'capitulated', but why they haven't capitulated."Why, under this sort of pressure, with the amount of sea power and naval power that we have over there, why haven't they come to us and said, 'We profess that we don't want a weapon, so here's what we're prepared to do?'"Read more: Iran to fast-track executions - as protester, 26, set to be hanged ‘within hours’ despite warnings from TrumpRead more: Demonstrators march through London in protest against Iranian regime TOPSHOT-UN-US-DIPLOMACY-IRAN. Picture: Getty Trump had previously warned of a military strike if a deal was not reached on Tehran’s nuclear program.Iran denies moving towards making a nuclear weapon, something that the US and its European allies suspect.Speaking to CBS News on Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he believed the dispute could still be solved diplomatically, with negotiators still working on elements of a deal. Despite the reported progress in Geneva on 17 February, when US and Iranian officials discussed Iran's nuclear programme through indirect talks, on Thursday Trump said that "over the next, probably, 10 days" the world would find out whether a deal with Iran would be reached, or the US would take military action.Over the course of recent weeks, the US has been ramping up its presence in the Middle East, with the deployment of the world's largest warship, USS Gerald R Ford, appearing to head towards the region.More anti-government protests in Iran were staged in universities over the weekend, the first such rallies since the government’s deadly crackdown in January, where thousands of protesters were killed. A student protest group clashed with government security forces in Tehran. Picture: X Clashes erupted between anti-government protesters and pro-government security forces, with Sharif University of Technology students in Tehran seen holding a protest against the regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, more than 50,000 people have been arrested in connection with the Iranian government's protest crackdown.In the past, President Trump has supported protestors, indicated by a comment at some point saying that "help is on its way".