Turkey's Fidan brings together Iran FM Araghchi and US envoy Witkoff in trilateral meetings
·Ankara, Turkey
Meetings over the past 24 hours brought together Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, per Newsweek. Parallel discussions have been held between Ankara, Riyadh, Doha, Oman, Pakistan, and Egypt. Officials say the goal is to determine whether a path exists for de-escalation, ceasefire, and a broader political settlement. This represents the first known proximity contact between a US envoy and Iranian FM since the war began February 28.
Newsweek reported at approximately 23:09 UTC on March 23 that meetings over the past 24 hours had brought together Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and US special envoy Steve Witkoff. The meetings were held alongside parallel discussions involving Ankara, Riyadh, Doha, Oman, Pakistan, and Egypt. Officials involved in the process said the goal was to determine whether any path remains for de-escalation, a ceasefire, and eventually a broader political settlement. Turkey's role as host marks Ankara as a key diplomatic hub alongside Oman and Pakistan. The trilateral format — with Fidan bridging Araghchi and Witkoff in the same meeting space — goes further than the 'messages via intermediaries' framework Iran has publicly described. The development aligns with Trump's claim of 'very good and productive talks' and his 15-point deal framework, but stops short of the direct bilateral US-Iran talks that Islamabad was identified as a potential venue for. Witkoff's presence alongside Araghchi is the first reported proximity contact between US and Iranian senior officials since the war began on February 28, 2026.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff participated in Turkey-facilitated meetings with Iran FM Araghchi over the past 24 hours — the first reported proximity contact between US and Iranian senior envoys since the war began February 28.
Iran FM Araghchi participated in Turkey-facilitated trilateral meetings alongside US envoy Witkoff and Turkey FM Fidan. Iran has publicly denied direct talks while partially acknowledging US messages via friendly countries.