Report: US dismisses Iran FM as ‘fax machine,’ seeks direct talks with decision-maker Qalibaf

The United States is pushing to move beyond indirect contact with Iran and open a direct line to a senior decision-maker in Tehran, Channel 12 reports, citing sources involved in the ongoing mediation effort.

According to the sources, Washington has made clear that it does not want to negotiate through Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is viewed as lacking real authority – with one source describing him as “a fax machine who only passes messages” – and instead aims to engage Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who is closely aligned with newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and considered one of the most influential figures in Iran following the assassination of Ali Larijani.

A source involved in the talks says mediators – Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan – identified “greater willingness” on both the Iranian and American sides to move forward.

“The Iranians were open to it, and the Americans also wanted to advance because of the markets and oil prices,” the source says, referring to Iran effectively having closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route.