Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Monday his last contact with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff was before the U.S. and Israel launched war against Iran, contradicting previous media reports that direct lines of communication between the two men had been reactivated in recent days.
“My last contact with Mr. Witkov was before his employer decided to stifle diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran,” Iran’s foreign minister wrote on X.
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“Any assertion to the contrary appears to be designed to mislead oil traders and the public.”
Axios reports that direct lines of communication between Witkoff and Araqchi have been reactivated in recent days. The report quoted a U.S. official and a person familiar with the matter as saying that Arachi had sent text messages to Vitkov.
Drop Site News media earlier reported that Witkoff sent a message to Araqchi. The report quoted Iranian officials as saying that Araqi ignored Vitkov’s message.
The United States and Israel launched war against Iran on February 28. The war left dozens dead in Iran and killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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Iran has also responded with attacks on Israel and Gulf states that host U.S. bases. The war raised oil prices and shook global markets.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Costas Pitas; Editing by David Ljunggren and Michelle Nichols)