Iran’s top diplomat Araghchi has told Al Jazeera that despite contacts, Iran is not negotiating with the US.
Published on 31 March 2026
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has confirmed that the messages were exchanged with the United States, either directly or through countries in the region, amid the ongoing US-Israel war over Iran.
During an interview with Al Jazeera, Araghchi said that contacts with the US do not mean that Tehran is negotiating with Washington.
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“I get messages directly from (U.S. special envoy Steve) Witkoff as before, and that doesn’t mean we’re negotiating,” he said.
He said, “There is no truth in the claims of talks with any party in Iran. All messages are delivered through or received by the Foreign Ministry, and communications between security agencies.” He said Tehran has not taken any decision about talks with Washington because it has reservations about them.
The foreign minister also clarified to Al Jazeera that Tehran has not yet responded to the 15-point proposal sent by the US, “nor have we presented any proposals or conditions.”
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem said that nothing Araghchi talked about was new, but the important update was the contact with Witkoff.
“The new information is that he has been in direct contact with Witkoff and there are some security discussions going on,” he said.
Last week, a senior diplomatic source told Al Jazeera that Iran had received a 15-point plan from the US aimed at ending the war.
The plan included proposals ranging from Iran committing to never acquiring nuclear weapons to limiting its missile stockpile in both range and quantity.
Nevertheless, the Iranian Foreign Minister reiterated that Iran would only agree to an end to all attacks in the region rather than a ceasefire.
