According to the Israeli publication Ynet, the head of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs allegedly informed Steven Witkoff that Mojtaba Khamenei has agreed to dialogue between Tehran and Washington. No official confirmation of the information from Tehran has been received.
The head of Iran's Foreign Ministry Abbas Araghchi, during a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy - Steven Witkoff, stated that the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei allegedly approved negotiations between Tehran and Washington. This was claimed on Tuesday, March 24, by the Israeli publication Ynet, citing an Iranian official.
According to him, the son of the killed Ali Khamenei allegedly 'approved the prompt conclusion of the matter, provided our demands are met.' No official confirmation of this information has been received. Publications citing other sources knowledgeable about the possible conversation between Araghchi and Witkoff have not yet appeared in the Israeli media.
After Trump previously reported on a channel to promote possible negotiations, Iran hastened to officially deny this.
According to Ynet, Washington did not inform Israel about the outcomes of the conversation between Araghchi and Witkoff; the information was obtained from other sources.
Trump claims he is negotiating with an unnamed Iranian leader
Donald Trump stated on March 23 that the USA was negotiating with an unnamed Iranian leader, whom he described as 'a person he considers most respected, as well as a leader' and who was 'very reasonable.'
At the same time, the head of the White House clarified that the conversation did not concern the wounded Mojtabi Khamenei, AFP reported. The American leader also assured that the USA and Iran had reached an agreement on approximately 15 points of a potential future agreement.
Speaker of the Iranian Parliament: It is about manipulating financial and oil markets
Axios, citing an Israeli official, claims that the conversation involves Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. The same source informed journalists about the preparation by mediating countries for a meeting involving him in Islamabad, Pakistan, 'possibly at the end of the week,' where the American side will be represented by Steven Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and possibly Vice President JD Vance. Another Axios source claims that there were no direct negotiations between Qalibaf and the Trump team, but they exchanged messages through Egypt and Turkey.
Qalibaf himself wrote on his account on X that 'there were no negotiations' with the USA, and 'fake news is being used to manipulate financial and oil markets and to get out of the quagmire that the USA and Israel are stuck in.'
The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry also denied reports of negotiations with the United States after February 28, when they began a joint military campaign with Israel against the Islamic Republic. Mediating countries sent messages indicating Washington's readiness for negotiations to end the war, but Tehran did not respond, the state news agency IRNA reported, citing a ministry representative.