US envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday, according to media reports, as the US continues building up its forces in the Middle East to prepare for a potential attack on Iran.
According to Axios, representatives from several Arab and Muslim countries will also be attending the talks, and the meeting is the result of diplomatic efforts by Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar. But one source told the outlet that nothing was finalized until it happened.
Witkoff will travel to Istanbul after visiting Israel and meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials.
Araghchi said on Monday that Iran was “ready for diplomacy” and hoped for results. “Iran’s enemies, who failed to achieve their goals, have now turned to diplomacy. These same parties are talking about diplomacy today, even though Iran has always been ready for this option, provided there is mutual respect and consideration of interests.”
If the meeting happens, it will mark the first talks between the US and Iran since the 12-day US-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic. Israel launched the war in June 2025, a few days before the US and Iran were scheduled to hold another round of nuclear talks. Hours before the first Israeli airstrikes hit, President Trump said he was committed to diplomacy with Iran, meaning the current US push for diplomacy could also be a deception aimed at keeping Tehran offguard before an attack.
The US wants any deal with Iran to involve limits on its ballistic missile program, which Aragchi and other Iranian officials have said is a non-starter. Iran’s parliamentary National Security Commission said that any talks with the US must be “limited exclusively to the nuclear issue” and a deal would only be acceptable if it leads “to the lifting of sanctions.”
