Due to mistrust: Iran has refused to hold talks with Witkoff and Kushner
25 March 12:14
Iran has made it clear to U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration through unofficial channels that it does not wish to resume negotiations with current U.S. officials and prefers to deal with Vice President J.D. Vance.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing CNN.
According to two regional sources, Tehran is not interested in dialogue with U.S. Special Representative Steve Witkoff and White House adviser Jared Kushner.
The reason is deep mistrust following the collapse of previous negotiations before the start of military operations involving Israel and the U.S.
The sources note that Iran considers Vance more inclined to seek a compromise and end the conflict than other representatives from Washington, particularly Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“It seems that Vance intends to end the conflict,” one of CNN’s sources said.
However, even supporters of this option acknowledge that Vance’s involvement is risky, as achieving a genuine end to the war will be extremely difficult.
At the same time, despite Iran’s wishes, the final decision rests with Trump. The White House has made it clear that the president himself will determine the composition of the negotiating team.
A White House spokeswoman stated that several figures will be involved in the process—Vance, Rubio, Witkoff, and Kushner.
Sources note that Iran will likely have to work with whoever Washington appoints, even if that is not their preferred option.
A potential meeting between the U.S. and Iran could take place as early as this week in Islamabad. However, even supporters of the talks are skeptical about the chances of it happening.
U.S.-Iran Negotiations
As a reminder, after contacts with Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump decided to postpone strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure.
He believes that “fruitful and constructive talks” took place between Washington and Tehran, which could lead to an agreement in the coming days.
At the same time, Iranian media deny that such talks took place.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that the U.S. is “trying to buy time” amid diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions.
According to Reuters, the U.S. is in contact with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. He himself denied these reports and stated that he supports the position of the country’s Supreme Leader.
Trump also stated that Iran “really wants to make a deal” and that this could happen within five days or sooner.
Iran, for its part, has declared its readiness to consider U.S. proposals to end the war, but emphasized that any agreement must take its key demands into account.
Today, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt announced that the U.S. has presented Iran with a 15-point peace plan aimed at ending hostilities in the Middle East.
