Two senior White House officials told CNN on Monday that Iranian officials have made direct contact with Steve Witkoff, the US president’s envoy to the Middle East, and with other US administration officials over the past few days, with the aim of reopening diplomatic channels.
However, officials confirmed that US President Donald Trump informed his team that he does not wish to conduct any negotiations at the present time.
On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who White House officials said tried to communicate with Witkoff, categorically denied any contact with the American envoy in recent days.
Through the “X” platform, Araqchi stated, “My last communication with Steve Witkoff was before his administration’s decision to end the diplomatic track by launching another illegal military attack on Iran, and it seems that any claim to the contrary is aimed exclusively at misleading oil traders and public opinion.”
These conflicting narratives, along with the directives Trump has issued to his team, indicate the expected course of the war, as it is likely to continue at an accelerating pace in the near term.
The websites Axios and Dropsite were the first to publish reports on these conflicting accounts of communication attempts.
A White House official said: “Trump stated that he is ready for dialogue, but not at this time, as he wants Operation ‘Epic Rage’ to continue without any pause or slowdown.”
The two officials also indicated that some US allies in the Middle East have informed the White House of their willingness to help mediate negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program and discuss the possibility of ending the war, but these efforts have been rejected at the present time.
They added that one of the reasons for Trump’s current lack of interest in engaging in dialogue with the Iranians is due to the US administration’s lack of confidence that Iran’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is actually in control of matters.
In the same context, Trump told reporters on Monday that he does not know whether Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since his appointment was announced a few days ago, is still alive.
He added: “Many people say that he was severely disfigured, and they claim that he lost his leg and suffered a very severe injury, while others say that he died… No one says that he is 100% completely healthy.”
He concluded by saying: “This may be for various reasons. We do not know whether he died or not. Now that his appointment has been announced, I can say that no one has seen him, and this is unusual.”
