Iran's Araghchi Denies Contact With US Envoy, Calls Reports 'Deception'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday he has had no recent communication with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and labeled claims that the two sides exchanged messages as “deception.”

In a post on X, Araghchi said that his last contact with Witkoff occurred before the United States carried out the attack on Iran.

Araghchi said in the X post that any suggestion he communicated with Witkoff after that point was false and misleading, stating that reports describing more recent contact between the two officials were inaccurate.

His comments followed a report by Axios citing a U.S. official and another source with knowledge of the matter who said a direct communications channel between Witkoff and Araghchi had been reactivated in recent days.

Axios reported it was unclear how substantive the messages exchanged between the two men had been and said the contact would represent the first known direct communication between the United States and Iran since the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran.

Axios reported that Araghchi had sent text messages to Witkoff but said a U.S. official told the outlet that Washington was “not talking” to Tehran.

Drop Site News previously reported that Witkoff had sent messages to Araghchi and quoted Iranian officials as saying the foreign minister was ignoring the outreach.