UAE’s Gargash delivers Trump’s letter to Iran in Tehran visit

UAE presidential advisor Anwar Gargash delivered a letter from US President Donald Trump to Iran during a visit to Tehran on Wednesday, Iranian state media reported.

According to the state-affiliated Fars news agency, Gargash met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and handed him the letter.

Earlier, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed to Iranian media that Gargash was arriving in Tehran “carrying a letter” from Trump.

Citing a source familiar with the matter, Axios reported that Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and met with the UAE president. During the visit, Witkoff handed the letter to Emirati officials for delivery to Iran.

On Friday, Trump said he had written to Iran’s highest authority, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, urging new nuclear talks while warning of possible military action if Tehran refused.

The next day, Khamenei rejected what he called bullying tactics, saying – without naming Trump – that the US president’s push for negotiations was not about resolving issues but rather about imposing US demands on Iran.

Khamenei had also opposed any talks with the US last month, calling negotiations with Washington “neither rational, nor intelligent, nor honorable.”

Tehran has said it will not negotiate under “maximum pressure.” The policy, reinstated by Trump on his return to the White House in January, saw him reimpose sweeping sanctions on the Islamic Republic during his first term after abandoning the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The JCPOA, signed between Iran and major world powers, had offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.