Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, has been on the phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi “several times” since June 13, the day Israel began its war against Iran, Reuters reported June 19, citing unnamed diplomats. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi, these sources said, told Witkoff that Tehran would not return to negotiations unless Israel stopped the attacks, a point that Araghchi has repeated in public statements. They said the talks included a brief discussion of a U.S. proposal given to Iran at the end of May that aims to create a regional consortium that would enrich uranium outside of Iran, an offer that they say Tehran has so far rejected.
What Reuters doesn’t explain is that what Tehran rejected is the idea that such a consortium would replace enrichment in Iran. “If some parties are proposing such a process, we welcome it and have no problem with participation either. But we emphasize that such an initiative cannot replace enrichment inside Iran,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stressed during a press briefing on June 2.
A regional diplomat close to Tehran informed Reuters that Araghchi had told Witkoff that Tehran “could show flexibility in the nuclear issue” if Washington would pressure Israel to end the war.
