Trump Administration Adds to Iran Negotiating Team

Nick Stewart Joins From Lobbying Group FDD Action

Amid stalled talks with Iran, President Donald Trump’s negotiators are adding a new member to the team from an outside Washington lobbying group, multiple people familiar with the hiring said.

Nick Stewart, the Managing Director of Advocacy at FDD Action, the lobbying side of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, has joined the office of Steve Witkoff, the Special Envoy for Peace Missions, two US officials and a third person familiar with the move said.

Stewart is known as an Iran hand who had previously served in the first Trump administration as the chief of staff at the Iran Action Group at the State Department, under then-Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook.

“Nick Stewart is a sharp, seasoned policy expert who is a valuable asset to Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s talented team,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales confirmed to me after publication.

“He brings a wealth of leadership and Iran policy experience to the role - from serving at the Department of State in the first Trump Administration and on Capitol Hill - and is a trusted voice as Special Envoy Witkoff works in lockstep with President Trump and his entire national security team to make a deal that is good for the United States and the world.”

Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, have been leading the talks with Iran which are deadlocked amid a fragile ceasefire.

A White House official said Stewart is being detailed from the State Department, joining the staff at the White House to support the team.

Stewart adds to the mix an ideological player with congressional, policymaking and interagency experience.

Stewart “brings considerable experience on the Iran issue as well as a record of consistent views that include calling for the permanent elimination of Iran’s nuclear threat and ending its ability to destabilize the region through militias,” said Norman Roule, a former National Intelligence Manager for Iran.

“He is a supporter of sanctions and military tools when necessary to support coercive diplomacy,” Roule added. “His past assignment as Chief of Staff to the State Department’s Iran Action Group will allow him to bring significant interagency experience critical to knitting together the many different Washington players and experts who play a role in the Iran account.”

So far there has been just one round of in-person US-Iran talks to end the war, mediated last month by Pakistan in Islamabad. Also included in that American delegation were two senior Vance aides as well as subject matter experts, the New York Times reported.

Witkoff, FDD Action and Hook did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Emails to Stewart’s FDD Action email address, which appeared to still be active, were not answered.

FDD and Stewart have been cheerleaders for the US-Israeli war against Iran. Soon after Trump launched it, Stewart wrote in favor of the military action, urging Congress to support it, arguing it “advances core US and allied interests and is fully consistent with President Trump’s constitutional authorities.”

“Operation Epic Fury is the answer to a regime that chose violence over diplomacy at every turn,” said Stewart. “It is a bold and appropriate response to the imminent threat posed by Iran’s reconstitution of its nuclear, missile, and proxy capabilities.”

Trump said Friday that he is “not satisfied” with Iran’s latest proposal for a second round of talks and would “blast them away” if the negotiations fail.

“They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “They’re asking for things I can’t agree to.”

This article has been updated with a statement from the White House and more information on Stewart’s role.