US-Iran high tensions and mutual threats turn into stalled negotiations

TEHRAN/WASHINGTON, D.C. —  During an interview on X with Tucker Carlson, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Envoy to the Middle East Stephen Witkoff said that the U.S. is working to avoid armed conflict with Iran by building bridges of trust. Witkoff declared that the recent message sent by Trump to Iran aimed to open diplomatic communication channels rather than issue threats.

The escalated tensions between the two countries followed renewed Israeli airstrikes in the region and threats by the Houthi group to maritime navigation in the Red Sea. On 7th March, Trump announced that he had sent a message to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging him to resume negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program and warning of potential military action.

Khamenei responded in his speech on the occasion of Nowruz, expressing readiness to respond forcefully to any potential aggression and stressing that U.S. threats would not yield positive results. Khamenei warned that any U.S. escalation would be met with a strong Iranian response. The Supreme Leader distanced Iran from its proxies in the Middle East, describing them as “independent forces defending themselves.”