USA07 May, 20262 min read
Trump Appoints FDD Action Lobbyist Nick Stewart to Engage Iran With Envoy Steve Witkoff
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FDD is a pro-Israel think tank shaping Trump's Iran policy. A new Iran negotiator described as an Israel lobbyist joins Trump's team.
Al Jazeera was read line by line by the Watchdog: 4.8. See the score →
FDD figure joins talks
The United States added Nick Stewart, described as a former pro-Israel lobbyist and managing director of advocacy at FDD Action, to the Office of the Special Envoy for Peace Missions, where he is reported to be engaging with Iran alongside envoy Steve Witkoff. Al Jazeera said Stewart was appointed on Saturday and that the move followed a period when the White House’s rapid response account on X posted a graphic from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) alongside text falsely claiming Tehran’s uranium enrichment accelerated due to the loosening of sanctions under former United States President Joe Biden.
Al Jazeera also stated that Iran’s uranium enrichment was capped at 3.67 percent under the 2015 nuclear deal signed under President Barack Obama and that Tehran accelerated enrichment only after President Donald Trump withdrew from the landmark deal in 2018. In parallel, the Middle East Monitor said the appointment “is likely to fuel speculations that Washington’s Iran policy is being shaped by ‘Israel First” officials,” and it linked Stewart’s joining the negotiating team to months of failed diplomacy.
Lobbying influence and disputes
Al Jazeera described FDD as a pro-Israel think tank that “occupies a carefully cultivated position in the corridors of power in Washington, DC,” and it said its experts appear across major US news networks as nonpartisan analysts. The outlet also cited federal lobbying disclosures saying FDD Action spent $150,000 lobbying the US government in the first quarter of 2025 on issues including Iran sanctions legislation and US arms sales to Israel.
It further quoted FDD Action’s website, saying it offers lawmakers and officials “direct support including legislative drafting assistance, private briefings, policy analysis, and training, all at no cost”. The Middle East Monitor, meanwhile, said Stewart had previously denounced the premise of negotiations with Iran’s elected leadership and referenced a Grayzone account of Stewart arguing Washington should “disabuse people” of the idea that any figure within Iran’s current system could serve as an “honest broker”.
Broader war stakes
Beyond personnel and messaging, the Middle East Monitor framed the Iran negotiations as part of a wider pattern of escalating US demands, saying Washington’s demands shifted from preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons to adopting Israel’s maximalist red lines: no uranium enrichment and then the inclusion of Iran’s ballistic missile programme. It also said the appointment came after the collapse of earlier US-Iran talks in February, when Trump’s lead negotiators Jared Kushner and Witkoff were accused of arriving with aggressive and unrealistic demands.
The European Center for Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence Studies (ECCI) said that with the United States and Israel launching surprise strikes against Iran on February 28, 2026, “trust among the warring parties collapsed completely,” and it warned that Europe could become a potential target if the confrontation escalates. ECCI added that the top U.S. regional commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, said his country struck 10,000 targets in Iran and Israel struck thousands more, leading to a reduction of Iranian missile and drone launches by more than 90%.