Israel’s Ynet reported on March 24 that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told US envoy Steve Witkoff that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, had approved dialogue with Washington. The report, which cited an Iranian official, said the talks could move forward quickly if Tehran’s demands were met. There has been no official confirmation from Iran. Reports Dw.com.
The claim comes amid conflicting public statements from both sides. Earlier, US President Donald Trump said Washington had been in contact with an unnamed Iranian figure he described as respected and level-headed. He also said the two sides had reached preliminary understanding on about 15 points of a possible future agreement. However, Trump said he was not referring to Mojtaba Khamenei.
Other reports have pointed to Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as a possible interlocutor. Axios, citing Israeli sources, said mediators were preparing a possible meeting in Islamabad involving senior US officials. But Ghalibaf denied any negotiations, calling the reports fake news aimed at manipulating financial and oil markets.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman also rejected reports of talks with the United States after February 28, saying Tehran had not responded to messages relayed by mediating countries. The denials come as fighting between Iran, the United States and Israel continues to fuel regional instability and uncertainty over whether any diplomatic channel is actually open.
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