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Monday, January 12, 2026
Iranian FM spoke with Witkoff in apparent effort to defuse Trump’s threats — report

Left: US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Paris, France, April 17, 2025. (Ludovic Marin, Pool Photo via AP); Right: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool Photo via AP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi contacted US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff this weekend to discuss the ongoing protests rocking Iran, according to Axios.
Citing sources with knowledge of the matter, the news site says Araghchi’s outreach appeared to be an effort by Tehran to defuse tensions with the United States or delay potential American strikes that President Donald Trump has threatened in response to Iran’s deadly crackdown on the demonstrations.
One of the sources adds that Witkoff and Araghchi discussed a possible sit-down in the coming days.
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