Democracy Dies in Darkness

Trump says peace talks progressing as Iran officials deny negotiations

Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey have taken the lead in efforts to broker a peace deal between the United States and Iran, though conversations have been indirect thus far.

March 24, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. EDTToday at 9:30 a.m. EDT

7 min

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President Donald Trump walks to Air Force One after speaking to reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

By Karen DeYoung

Susannah George

and

Heba Farouk Mahfouz

Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey have taken the lead in efforts to broker a peace deal between the United States and Iran, serving as intermediaries in talks between Trump administration envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to U.S. and foreign officials.

What readers are saying

The comments express a strong skepticism towards President Donald Trump's statements, particularly regarding negotiations with Iran. Many commenters accuse Trump of habitual lying and suggest that his claims about peace talks and military successes are fabrications. There is a... Show more

This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments.

By Karen DeYoung

Karen DeYoung is associate editor and senior national security correspondent for The Post. In more than three decades at the paper, she has served as bureau chief in Latin America and in London and as correspondent covering the White House, U.S. foreign policy and the intelligence community. @karendeyoung1

By Susannah George

Susannah George covers global affairs and national security for The Washington Post based in Washington D.C. She was previously the Gulf bureau chief based in Dubai, where she led coverage of the Persian Gulf monarchies and Iran. Before that she was The Post's Afghanistan-Pakistan bureau chief. @sgreports

By Heba Farouk Mahfouz

Heba Farouk Mahfouz is a reporter/researcher in The Post’s Cairo bureau. She joined the paper in 2016 and has covered human rights, gender issues, the economy, religious minorities and the war in Gaza. Mahfouz previously reported for the Japanese News Agency in Cairo and Egypt's leading independent news website, Mada Masr.