Britain’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell attended the final US-Iran talks and assessed that Tehran’s offer on its nuclear program was significant enough to avert an immediate rush to war, the Guardian reported on Tuesday.
Sources said Powell saw progress in Geneva in late February and described Iran’s proposed deal as “surprising.”
Two days after the talks concluded, and just after a date had been set for further technical discussions in Vienna, the US and ‘Israel’ launched the war on Iran.
Powell’s presence and close involvement in the negotiations were confirmed by three sources, according to The Guardian. One noted he was at Oman’s ambassadorial residence in Cologny, Geneva, advising on the talks—highlighting concerns over the US delegation, which included Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy on multiple issues.
Nuclear experts later said Witkoff’s statements on Iran’s nuclear program contained fundamental errors.
Kushner and Witkoff had invited Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to provide technical guidance, though Kushner later claimed he and Witkoff had “a pretty deep understanding of the issues that matter.”
INTERESTING: UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell attended US–Iran talks and believed a deal was “surprising” and could prevent war.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 17, 2026
Further talks were planned, but two days later the US and Israel attacked Iran.
One diplomat said Witkoff and Kushner were seen as… pic.twitter.com/fvToyYtDSN
Powell, a seasoned mediator, brought an expert team from the UK Cabinet Office. A western diplomat noted, “Jonathan thought there was a deal to be done, but Iran had not yet agreed, particularly on UN inspections of its nuclear sites.”
A former official briefed on the Geneva talks added: “Witkoff and Kushner came without a US technical team. They relied on Grossi as their expert, which is not his role. Powell brought his own team. The UK delegation was surprised by what the Iranians proposed. It was not a complete deal, but it marked progress and suggested Iran’s offer was not final.
The British expected the next round in Vienna to build on Geneva’s momentum.” That follow-up round, scheduled for 2 March in Vienna, never took place.
Source: The Guardian (edited by Al-Manar)