President Trump can get deal with Iran done: US Deputy State Department Spox

WASHINGTON - In an exclusive interview with Rudaw, US Deputy State Department Spokesperson Mignon Houston emphasized that President Donald Trump’s administration remains "laser-focused" on the Middle East - particularly on the conduct of Syria’s interim authorities and the ongoing efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran, stating confidently, “President Trump can get this done!”

Responding to a question about whether the US continues to prioritize developments in the Middle East, Houston affirmed, “This administration has been laser-focused at the highest levels, sending out individuals - whether it be [US Special Envoy] Ambassador [Steve] Witkoff, the Secretary [of State Marco Rubio] or the National Security Advisor [Mike Waltz] - to really focus on the Middle East.”

US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated on Tuesday that Washington is not planning to normalize diplomatic relations with Damascus “at this time,” adding that the US “continues to assess our Syria policy cautiously.”

Echoing that stance, Houston told Rudaw that the administration has “been clear” about wanting “to see the interim authorities’ actions and not just their words.”

“We need to see a Syria that focuses on human rights, on the people, the ethnic minorities, and that focuses on ensuring they will no longer have foreign terrorists associated with official roles in Syria and that they are renouncing terrorism at all costs,” Houston asserted.

On the issue of Iran, Houston characterized the current nuclear negotiations as “dynamic” and reiterated President Trump’s firm position: “Iran cannot acquire a nuclear weapon.” She added, “You have a president who is a deal maker… President Trump can get this done.”

The US Deputy State Department Spokesperson also addressed the ongoing suspension of oil exports from the Kurdistan Region, underlining Washington’s support for restarting the Iraq-Turkey pipeline.

“We want to see a restart of the Iraq-Turkey pipeline,” she stated, stressing its importance for regional economic stability and continued US investment.

The following is the full text of the interview with Houston

Rudaw: Mignon Houston, the deputy spokesperson for the State Department, is joining me now. Thank you so much, Mignon, for being on Rudaw.

Mignon Houston: I appreciate it. Thank you to your viewers for having me. This is a real honor. Thank you so much.

Of course, I am going to ask about President Donald Trump’s foreign policy. There's so much going on when it comes to the foreign policy and there has been a big shift between this administration and the former administration. Can you tell us what you are focused on when it comes to foreign policy? Is it the Middle East? Is it Ukraine? Is it China? Can you elaborate on this for our audience?

You know, I love this question, and particularly on this day, because we are celebrating the first 100 days of this administration. It is an exciting time to really take a pause and see what has been achieved and what a tremendous amount has been achieved with this administration, we are seeing real accomplishments domestically and internationally. This administration came in with a mandate, of course, from the American people, saying, we want to see an America that is safer, stronger and more prosperous, and that is across not only domestic but also foreign policy as well.

We are focused on policies that will give the American people the opportunities, the resources, economic security that we deserve here, and the American people are seeing this at our border; we have seen a 95 percent decrease in illegal crossings. This is an incredible achievement domestically. Around the world, we are seeing our foreign policy led by US Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio, who we all just think is incredible. I don't know when he sleeps. He's been doing amazing work as well, and happy to speak to you further.

Let's talk about the Middle East. Has this administration put the Middle East in the back seat, because we don't see a lot of engagement with Middle Eastern countries, when it comes to Iraq, to Syria and so on. There is not much engagement with Syrian interim authority, and when it comes to the Gaza conflict… So have you put the Middle East into the back seat or still the file is on the table at the Oval Office?

You know, with all due respect, I would really say that I reject that now at all costs. I mean, this administration has been laser focused at the highest levels, sending out individuals, whether it's [US special envoy] Ambassador [Steve] Witkoff or the Secretary or the National Security Advisor [Mike Waltz] to really focus on the Middle East. There is not a day that goes by that we're not focused on the issue of Gaza, not a day that goes by that we're not focused on how we can bring greater stability, human rights considerations for the Middle East. We want conditions that are created for peace, for additional economic development, for security advancements, and we continue to work at all levels on this.

As you mentioned about Syria and the interim authorities, we have been clear that we want to see the interim authorities’ actions and not just their words. We need to see a Syria that sort of focuses on human rights, on the people, the ethnic minorities in Syria, that focuses on ensuring they will no longer have foreign terrorists associated with official roles in Syria and that they are renouncing terrorism at all costs. This is what we want to see from the interim authority.

You spoke about Syria, and when it comes to Syria, the interim authority has not upheld the rights of the minorities like the Druze and the Kurds. Even, they killed a number of people from the Druze community in the past couple of days. They are also rejecting the establishment of a Kurdish autonomous region which is backed by the US. So, what's your view when it comes to the Kurdish rights and Druze rights in Syria?

We have been very outspoken about this. We want to see a Syria that respects human rights. We are engaged at very high levels. You can see discussions are happening here at the [State] Department and by the White House, by the National Security Council to really ensure that we see in Syria the respect for human rights in the region.

It is important that our ethnic minorities in Syria, as you mentioned, [know] that we are thinking about their voices, we are thinking about their families, we are thinking about their communities, that their futures are just as important as everybody's future in Syria, and to ensure that, we are having discussions that will bring us to that step is exactly what we're doing right now.

We have a short time and I have a lot of questions. Let's move on to Iraq. The United States has played a big role in Iraq. In maintaining security in Iraq, you have bases there and you have good relations with Erbil and Baghdad, but it has been a long time since the dispute has persisted there over the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) oil exports. And you have American oil companies operating there, and Secretary Rubio has made several phone calls with both the KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani regarding this issue. Why are we not seeing a resumption of the KRG Oil export through the Turkey-Iraq Pipeline? What is your position on that?

Well, we've seen Secretary Rubio say very clearly, he wants to see a restart of the Iraq-Turkey pipeline. He wants to see that restart. He understands the importance of this resource for the region and what it would mean for investment from the United States, our US companies who are there, and US citizens who are there. We want to see this resource be viable. We know the last two years we've seen a decline in the ability for it to operate. We want to change that. The Secretary has been very clear about that.

Last week, the Iraqi Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Fuad Hussein, was here and Secretary Rubio met with him and you talked about security issues in Iraq. We know there are many armed groups in Iraq backed by Iran. Have you requested that the Iraqi government dismantle these groups? What is your position on the armed groups in Iraq that were attacking the US interests both inside and outside Iraq?

The Secretary [of State Rubio] is focused on an Iraq that is secure, that is viable, and that is stable. We have a very strong security cooperation relationship with Iraq. We have normalized relationships with Iraq. We know that Iraq is a strong partner in the region. We want to see an Iraq that can defeat [the Islamic State] ISIS permanently. We want to see an Iraq that can ensure that they are safe, that their citizens are safe. And then these are discussions we are having at all levels. We know that it is not easy. It doesn't happen overnight, but this is what we're committed to. We will continue to work towards it.

And how is your relationship with the KRG? You have a good relationship with the Kurds. How do you see the KRG’s position in Iraq? Have you spoken with the Kurdistan Region government about the formation of a new government?

Well, I can't speak to the last question, but I can tell you the [Turkey-Iraq] Pipeline would be a resource for everyone, right? It would be a resource for the KRG, as you mentioned, it would be a resource for the Kurdish people. This is important for us to establish this pipeline, and so that we'll bring in this investment that will further bring about additional peace, additional resources, and additional opportunities for the future that they deserve.

Let’s speak about Iran. You have started negotiations or talks with Iran, you sit in different rooms but talking to each other. Can you tell us what you have achieved so far in three rounds of talks with Iran, and are you optimistic that you are going to get a deal with Iran about the nuclear capabilities?

Look, President Trump is a deal maker. We can say that, it is the first 100 days that is a statement that everyone is very clear about. He has said that he wants to see a deal with Iran; this is an important deal, and he has said that if Iran wants to see a deal, it is up to Iran to make this happen. We are seeing these talks take place at very high levels. We are seeing a focus on a deal, and essentially, the US President has used all of our resources: the maximum pressure campaign to focus on the threat of a nuclear weapon in Iran and what that would mean, and how we are assessing that, as well as the diplomatic conversations. These two fronts have been worked on diplomatically by this administration, and this administration's leadership, Secretary Rubio, is taking that further and we will continue to focus on that.

So, last time, when President Trump, during his first tenure, withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as it is formally known, the administration then said it did not include all aspects which ought to be agreed on like armed groups, ballistic missile program, and everything. Are you going to specifically talk about nuclear weapons or uranium enrichment this time, or are you going to talk about all other aspects related to Iran?

That is a great question. These are dynamic discussions that are happening right now. I don't want to preview any sensitivities around these discussions, so I can just repeat the President, who has been very, very vocal and public in saying that Iran cannot acquire a nuclear weapon; this would be detrimental to the region, this would be detrimental to the world, and they must stop their ballistic missile program. They must stop the continuation of enriching uranium for the purposes of building a bomb; this is not going to be something that the people in the region deserve. We want to see better, and we want to see more for the people of this region, and that's why the President has talked about this deal. It is focusing on the maximum pressure campaign, as well as the diplomatic conversations at this level.

Last question, do you have a timeline for the negotiations with Iran? Until when will these talks continue? Do they have a deadline, or will you just keep talking?

Look, you know, I think you have a President who is a deal maker, and that's what I would focus on. You have a president who is very good at his job; he knows what he's doing. I would not preview any timelines, but I can say we have full confidence that President Trump can get this done.

Thank you so much, Mignon, for being on Rudaw, and looking forward for having you again.

Thank you. I would appreciate that, I can come back anytime.

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