White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. File.
| Photo Credit: AP
A direct communications channel between U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been reactivated in recent days, Axios reported on Monday (March 16, 2026), citing a U.S. official and a source with knowledge of the matter.
Axios said it was not clear how substantive the messages passed between Mr. Araghchi and Mr. Witkoff had been, adding it was the first known direct communication between the parties since the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran.
Axios cited its sources as saying Mr. Araghchi had sent text messages to Mr. Witkoff. It reported the U.S. official said Washington was “not talking” to Tehran.
The Drop Site News outlet had earlier reported that Mr. Witkoff sent messages to Mr. Araghchi. It quoted Iranian officials as saying the minister was ignoring Witkoff’s messages.
Published – March 17, 2026 05:13 am IST
