Witkoff: United States hopes for meetings with Iran this week

(Patria) - US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said he believes Iran will hold talks with Washington "this week", while President Donald Trump reiterated his claim that Tehran wants to reach a deal, AFP reported.

"We think there will be meetings this week, we certainly hope so," Witkoff told a business forum in Miami. The businessman, who became a traveling envoy, added that the United States expects Tehran's response to his peace plan.

"We have a fifteen-point plan on the table. We expect the Iranians to respond. This could resolve everything," Witkoff said.

Repeating Trump's unproven claim that Iran released ten oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz to show good intentions, Witkoff added that "ships are passing, that's a very good sign".

Trump mixed harsh threats to Iran with claims that Tehran is ready to strike a deal and end the war in the coming weeks, and he stuck to that stance upon arriving in Miami.

"They have been decimated in Iran," Trump told reporters traveling with him.

"They are talking, we are talking now. They want to make a deal."