March 30, 2026 — Washington
More than a week after President Donald Trump said the United States was “in conversation” with Iran, there has been no in-person meeting. Pakistan offered to host talks, senior regional officials have engaged as intermediaries, and foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt have discussed possible negotiations — yet Tehran publicly denies any direct negotiations are underway.
U.S. and Iranian officials acknowledge messages have passed through intermediaries. At the same time, thousands more U.S. troops are arriving in the region and the president has threatened strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, leaving little sign that the war is nearing a diplomatic end.
Trump posted on Truth Social that Washington was holding serious discussions with a “new, and more reasonable, regime” and that “great progress has been made,” while warning that attacks on Iranian energy facilities could follow if no deal is reached. Iran has pushed back, with the foreign ministry saying there are no talks taking place.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on X that U.S. requests and proposals have arrived through intermediaries, including Pakistan, but stressed Iran is focused on defense while U.S. military operations continue. “At a time when US military aggression continues with intensity, all our efforts and capabilities are focused on defending Iran,” he wrote.
Pakistan’s army chief, Syed Asim Munir — whom Trump has praised publicly — has been described as a central go-between. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar have also been involved, according to regional officials and public statements.
Washington has reportedly transmitted a 15-point plan to Tehran via Pakistan. Trump and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt have said Iran has agreed to at least some elements, though the full list has not been released. Special envoy Steve Witkoff outlined parts of the proposal, saying it would bar Iran from enriching uranium on its soil, require surrender of roughly 10,000 kilograms of fissile material, and resolve “the oversight question.” “All of these are red lines for us,” he said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio summed up broader U.S. demands as preventing Iran from ever acquiring nuclear weapons, ending support for terrorist groups, and halting development of weapons that threaten neighboring countries.
Iran says it has put forward its own five-point counterproposal, calling for a complete stop to “aggression and assassinations by the enemy,” firm mechanisms to ensure war will not be reimposed on Iran, compensation for war damages and reparations, and international recognition of Iran’s sovereign authority over the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House has credited indirect and direct talks with contributing to safe transits through the Strait: Trump said Iran allowed 20 ships to pass safely, in addition to 10 the prior week. Still, Iran controls the strategic waterway that handles more than 20% of global oil shipments; oil prices remain above $100 a barrel, pushing U.S. gasoline prices higher ahead of midterm elections. For Washington, Iranian control of the Strait is treated as nonnegotiable.
Rubio also questioned who holds real authority inside Iran, asking whether new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is actually making decisions. “No one has seen him. No one has heard from him. It’s very opaque right now,” Rubio said.
Trump said some negotiations have involved Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and told the New York Post he expected to know within about a week whether Ghalibaf would cooperate. Publicly, Ghalibaf has rejected discussions, accusing the enemy of feigned friendship while “secretly plotting a ground invasion” and vowing to punish regional partners.
Baghaei reiterated Iran’s denial of direct talks, telling PressTV the U.S. proposals were “very excessive, unrealistic and irrational.” At the White House briefing, Leavitt downplayed Tehran’s public statements, saying remaining elements of the Iranian regime are “increasingly eager to end the destruction and come to the negotiating table while they still can.” She added that public posturing differs from private communications and insisted that talks are “continuing and going well.”