Araghchi and Witkoff resume direct contacts - report

A direct communications channel between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been reactivated in recent days, Axios reported citing sources.

It's not clear how substantive the messages passed between Araghchi and Witkoff were, but it's the first known direct communication between the parties since the war started more than two weeks ago.

The U.S. official and the source with knowledge said Araghchi sent text messages to Witkoff that focused on ending the war.

A senior U.S. official dismissed Iran's demand for "reparations" as part of a peace deal, but said Washington was open to a deal that would let Iran "integrate with the rest of the world and make money from their oil."

At the same time, Iranian officials have claimed in public over the last few days that they're not holding any ceasefire negotiations with the Trump administration.