US-Iran peace talks: Latest developments
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that his envoys held talks with a senior official in the Iranian leadership and claimed the parties are in agreement on many points.
Trump walked back his threat to strike Iran's power plants on Monday, citing productive negotiations.
Iran denied any such talks have taken place and claimed Trump was just trying to calm the energy markets.
But an Israeli official told U.S. news portal Axios that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had been speaking with the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Trump did not name the Iranian interlocutor, saying he did not want to get him killed, but claimed the U.S. and Iran were aligned on many of the key issues.
"We are dealing with a man that I believe is the most respected, not the supreme leader, we have not heard from him," Trump said.
Trump said the talks would continue over the phone on Monday, with a possible in-person meeting later on.
The Israeli official said the mediating countries were trying to convene a meeting in Islamabad — with Ghalibaf and other officials representing Tehran, and Witkoff, Kushner and possibly Vice President Vance representing the U.S. — possibly later this week.
The official also said that Israel had been aware of indirect communication between the U.S. and Tehran but was surprised by Trump's comments on Monday. "We did not know things were moving that fast."
Trump gave Iran an ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or face massive attacks.
Iran threatened to strike power plants across Israel and the Gulf if Trump followed through, and markets wobbled as dramatic escalation appeared imminent.
After Trump reversed course, U.S. stock futures surged and oil prices fell.
The Hormuz crisis has become a key issue driving a global energy crisis and preventing Trump from ending the war.
In an all caps post on Truth Social on Monday morning Trump wrote that the U.S. and Iran have had "very good and productive conversation" over the last two days that focused on ending hostilities in the region.
"BASED ON THE TENOR AND TONE OF THESE IN DEPTH, DETAILED, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS, WITCH WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR TO POSTPONE ANY AND ALL MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRANIAN POWER PLANTS AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A FIVE DAY PERIOD, SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS," Trump wrote.
Trump later made several claims — none of which have been confirmed by Tehran — about points of agreement.
According to Trump:
Iran committed not to pursue nuclear weapons or to enrich uranium, and to hand over its existing stockpiles.
Iran agreed to be "low-key on the missiles."
Iran also agreed to reopen the strait of Hormuz.
"If they carry through with that it will end the conflict. They want to make a deal. We want to make a deal too. If this happens it is a great start for Iran to build itself back," Trump said.
He said the U.S. had notified Israel on Monday about the talks with Iran. "Israel will be very happy with what we have. Peace for Israel. Long-term peace. Guaranteed peace."
Iran's foreign ministry said there had been no talks between Iran and the U.S., while acknowledging some countries in the region were working to reduce tensions.
Trump said the Iranian denial was the result of miscommunication within the Iranian leadership.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had previously been the Trump administration's primary interlocutor, though some in Washington questioned whether he was empowered to deliver a deal.
U.S. officials say it's difficult to assess who is calling the shots in Tehran after so many senior figures were killed by Israel, and with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remaining in the shadows.
Trump stressed that he thinks the people the U.S. is talking to inside Iran are representative of the regime.
A U.S. source said Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan have been passing messages between the U.S. and Iran over the past two days.
The foreign ministers of the three countries held separate talks with Witkoff and Araghchi, the U.S. source said.
"The mediation is ongoing and making progress. The discussion is about ending the war and resolving all outstanding issues. We hope to have answers soon," a source familiar with the details said.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had called on Sunday with Witkoff, Araghchi and his counterparts from Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said, adding that Abdelatty stressed the importance of "containing the broader effects of the conflict and preventing it from expanding."
Trump described the individual the U.S. is talking to as "very reasonable," while warning that if the talks failed, "we'll just keep bombing our little hearts out."
"I welcome the talks reported between the U.S. and Iran," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a parliamentary committee, adding the UK was "aware" discussions were happening.
Trump said unidentified Iranian officials reached out under pressure of his threat to attack power stations.
"They called, I didn't call," he said. "They want to make a deal, and we are very willing to make a deal."
Mojtaba Khamenei is the son of the previous supreme leader, but he has not been seen in public since the war began and U.S. officials say he may be badly injured.
Trump suggested that he was looking for an arrangement similar to Venezuela, where U.S. forces toppled long-time strongman Nicolas Maduro in January. The country is now run by a U.S.-backed figure.
"Look at Venezuela, how well that's working out," Trump said. "Maybe we find somebody like that in Iran."
- 'Going very well' -
Earlier, Trump told AFP in a brief phone interview that "things are going very well."
Trump has repeatedly said he does not know whom to negotiate with because so many leaders have been killed.
On Monday, he dismissed Khamenei, saying "I don't consider him really the leader."
"But we think we have people that are very representative of the country and will do a good job," he said.
Asked why he wouldn't identify the people talking to the United States, Trump said "because I don't want them to be killed."
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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