Iran Denies Active Diplomacy With U.S. Amid Ongoing War

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has publicly disputed claims that a direct communication channel between himself and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff has been recently restored. Speaking on X, Araqchi stated that his most recent contact with Witkoff occurred before the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28 — a campaign that has since claimed numerous Iranian lives and resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Araqchi was pointed in his rebuttal, accusing those spreading the narrative of active diplomacy of deliberately trying to mislead oil markets and the general public. His statement directly contradicts a report by Axios, which cited a U.S. official and a separate source familiar with the matter, both claiming that Araqchi had recently sent text messages to Witkoff. Drop Site News had also reported similar back-channel activity, though it suggested Araqchi was choosing not to respond to outreach from the U.S. envoy.

The conflicting accounts emerge against the backdrop of an escalating and destabilizing conflict. Since the U.S.-Israel military offensive began, Iran has retaliated with strikes targeting Israel and Gulf states hosting American military bases. The violence has sent shockwaves through global financial markets, driving oil prices significantly higher and deepening geopolitical uncertainty across the Middle East.

With diplomatic lines apparently severed and military exchanges continuing, the prospect of a negotiated resolution appears increasingly distant. The contradictory statements from both sides point to a broader information war accompanying the physical one — where perceptions of diplomacy, or its absence, carry real consequences for energy markets, regional alliances, and international efforts to contain the conflict before it widens further.