Reuters: Iran, US hold direct talks amid escalating conflict with Israel
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken directly by phone several times since Israel launched Operation Exodus Lion on June 13. This is reported by Reuters, citing three unnamed diplomats.
According to them, the talks included a brief discussion of the US proposal for a nuclear deal, which was handed over to Iran in May 2025.
One of the regional diplomats said that the first call was allegedly initiated by Washington and that the US put forward a new proposal to overcome the "deadlock" due to "red lines not matching".
An Iranian minister in the dialogue allegedly said that the country would not return to talks with the United States until Israel stops its attacks. At the same time, he said that Tehran "may show flexibility on the nuclear issue.".
"Araqchi told Witkoff that Iran is ready to return to nuclear talks, but will not be able to do so if Israel continues bombing," the European diplomat said.
A senior European diplomat said that at the G7 summit, it became clear that US President Donald Trump wanted to complete the operations as soon as possible and that he wanted the Iranians to talk to him. At the same time, he made it clear that they must accept his demands if they want to end the war.
Given Israel's strikes and Trump's rhetoric, Iran cannot hold public talks with the United States at this time, diplomats said. At the same time, meeting with European mediators to advance diplomacy seems "more realistic" for Tehran, they said .
- on June 13, the Israeli Defense Forces announced that it had carried out a "preemptive strike" against Iran's nuclear program, to prevent Tehran from obtaining weapons of mass destruction.
- On June 17, Trump demands Iran's surrender and hints at the possible assassination of the supreme leader
- On June 19, The Guardian reported that Trump did not approve a strike on Iran because of doubts about the effectiveness of the GBU-57 bomb. And Bloomberg stated that U.S. officials are preparing for a possible strike on Iran in the coming days.
- Iran confirmed talks with European ministers in Geneva on its nuclear program.
