The Trump administration has begun internal discussions about potentially restarting negotiations with Iran, as officials weigh a possible diplomatic off-ramp amid the ongoing conflict.

According to a report from Axios, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are involved in early efforts to lay the groundwork for renewed talks. Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United Kingdom have been relaying messages between Washington and Tehran, signaling tentative movement toward reengagement.

Iranian officials are reportedly open to returning to the negotiating table, but only under strict conditions, including a ceasefire, guarantees against future military action and compensation for damages sustained during the war. One U.S. official suggested there may be flexibility in how such compensation is framed, pointing to the potential return of frozen Iranian assets as a point of negotiation.

“They call it reparations. Maybe we call it return of frozen money,” the official said. “There’s many different ways that we can wordsmith so that it solves politically what they need to solve.”

The renewed diplomatic push comes as President Donald Trump signaled he may begin winding down military operations. “We are getting very close to meeting our objectives,” Trump wrote Friday, as the conflict entered its fourth week.

Efforts to restart diplomacy face additional complications, including uncertainty over the role and condition of Mojtaba Khamenei, who was appointed supreme leader following his father’s death but was reportedly injured in the same strike. He has not been seen since.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has also tied any reopening of the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz to a ceasefire and assurances that future strikes will not occur. U.S. officials, meanwhile, expect at least several more weeks of fighting even as preliminary diplomatic channels begin to take shape.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)