Report: US, Iran Resume Direct Communication

6 hours ago 7

March 17, 2026 | 08:29 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The direct communication channel between officials of the United States and Iran has been claimed to be reactivated in recent days, according to a report from U.S. media Axios on Monday, citing a U.S. official and sources familiar with the matter, as reported by Antara.

Communication between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi is the first known direct contact between the two countries since the U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on February 28, the report revealed.

The U.S. official claimed to Axios that Araghchi was the one seeking communication, but added that the U.S. was "not negotiating" with Iran.

However, Drop Site News reported on the same day that it was Witkoff who sent messages to Araghchi. The media also quoted statements from Iranian officials claiming that Araghchi ignored messages from the U.S. envoy.

U.S. President Donald Trump also mentioned on Monday that Iran wants to reach a deal with the U.S., but the White House is not sure who is making decisions in Iran.

"They want to make a deal. They’re talking to our people. I don’t know if they’re ready yet. They’re taking a pounding. But in the meantime, we're in a very strong position," claimed Trump.

Nevertheless, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi strongly denied the report. In a post on X/Twitter on Monday night, as reported by The Jerusalem Post, he emphasized that his last contact with Witkoff occurred before the war began.

"Any claim to the contrary appears geared solely to mislead oil traders and the public," Araghchi wrote.

Read: Israel Claims It Killed Iran's Security Chief Larijani and Basij Commander

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