Trump Curious Why Iran Has Not 'Capitulated' Amid U.S. Military Buildup, Says Witkoff

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Huff Post/Reuters

Feb 22, 2026, 07:58 AM EST


Feb 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is curious as to why Iran has not yet “capitulated” and agreed to curb its nuclear programme, as Washington builds up its military capability in the Middle East, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said.

“I don’t want to use the word ‘frustrated,’ because he understands he has 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,” Witkoff said in an interview on Fox News on Saturday.

“Why, under this pressure, with the amount of seapower and naval power over there, why haven’t they come to us and said, ‘We profess we don’t want a weapon, so here’s what we’re prepared to do’? And yet it’s sort of hard to get them to that place.”

Trump has ordered a huge buildup of forces in the Middle East and preparations for a potential multi-week air attack on Iran. Iran has threatened to strike U.S. bases if it is attacked.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-iran-military-buildup-middle-east_n_699afc56e4b05375e27f106e

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No words at this ludicrousness.

[lostincalifornia]

1. Why would Iran, or for that matter, trust any thing from the U.S. under trump? It was trump who unilaterally destroyed

the negotiated nuclear deal with Iran, has been disparaging NATO, is trying to setup a billion dollar exclusive membership club to replace the UN, etc.

This is NOT A RELIABLE PERSON WHOSE WORD YOU CAN TRUST.

[C_U_L8R]

2. Bullies are always surprised like that.

Especially ones as stupid and self-absorbed as Trump.

[tanyev]

3. My guess, Donny, is they don't want to 'capitulate' to the madman who withdrew from an existing agreement.

😒

[PatSeg]

4. "Why doesn't the world do exactly what I want?"

"And what is the point of the largest, most powerful military in the world if you can't use it?"

[ananda]

14. "My lackeys in America do."

And since America is meanest, baddest, and strongest,
I'm also king of the world.

[PatSeg]

15. The world has suffered such authoritarians

over and over again across history and we ended up with one of the absolute dumbest of them. Why do we let this keep happening?

[ananda]

17. Radix malorum est cupiditas.

Greed is the root of all evil.

[PatSeg]

18. Without a doubt

And after that comes the lust for power, but the fact that the populace keeps falling for these deranged clowns is mind-blowing. The slogan "Never forget" only seems to last for a couple of generations and then the world reverts to the same old destructive crap.

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it—always." Gandhi

[Turbineguy]

5. Maybe it's their 5000 year history.

[mopinko]

6. they're a little busy slaughtering their own ppl.

[Clouds Passing]

7. Pedo say what to Pedo?

[Kid Berwyn]

8. Too stupid to see reality.

An attack strengthens the Ayatollahs’ power.

In a way it’s good the demented and perverted traitor is surrounded by assholes who also are dumbasses.

[Martin68]

9. Curiosity is unknown to Dump. He is just plain ignorant.

[Hugin]

10. Iran isn't Venezuela...

Dumbass.

[DBoon]

11. TACO

Iran knows it

[AverageOldGuy]

12. Of all the things that worry me about this situation . . .

As we all know, Trump's bluster about Iran and his insistence on attacking Iran are bullshit and there is a LOT in this to worry us all. But one aspect of all this worries me.

We always prepare to fight the last war and we go to war with what we have, which, in this case is aircraft carriers (medium-size floating cities with a population of 3,000 and a modest airfield) and their accompanying cruisers, destroyers, and other support vessels.

In Ukraine, the drone war -- which was unheard of three years ago -- is all but ruling the battlefield. Carriers cost billions upon billions. Drones can be manufactured in your mother's basement for a few $$$ each. Iran is cranking them out by the thousands to supply Russia in Ukraine.

What's the chance of one or more armed Iranian drones getting through all the radar and air defense systems and severely damaging a carrier? And -- Iran has a goodly stock of shore-to-ship antiship missiles as well as a moderate level of air defenses. Yes, our initial attacks likely will diminish their air defenses and their shore-based anti-ship inventory -- but we will not and cannot get it all.

Trump's earlier attack on Iran was not a problem -- flight of Stealth bombers zoomed in, dropped bombs, cause a little damage, and zipped out. This is not the same thing.

US high-performance naval aircraft and crews will be lost. There will be new threats to US ships -- threats for which we are not prepared.

And let's not forget Iran's ability to generate terrorist attacks on US installations worldwide.

All for what goddam reason? Has Netanyahoo convinced Trump that, by attacking Iran, he will then be free to build condos in Gaza? Trump reasoning is that stupid.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. "What's the chance of one or more armed Iranian drones getting through and...severely damaging a carrier?"

IMHO they don't have to actually damage the carrier but take out all those expensive planes parked nice and neat ON the carrier deck!

The USS Gerald Ford (which is on its way there) -

[Brother Buzz]

19. I'd be more concerned about Iran's rumored state-of-art torpedoes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoot_(torpedo)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valfajr_(torpedo)

[BumRushDaShow]

20. We would have 2 carrier groups (and all their ships)

in the area, so at least one or more could intercept those!

[Pluvious]

16. It's very simple, Donnie Dumdum...

When your back's against the wall and it's win or death, you will choose to fight every time