Senior Israeli political sources in Jerusalem say Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan worked behind the scenes to mediate between Washington and Tehran.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 23 that Washington and Tehran had reached “major points of agreement” in talks to end the war, as Iranian officials denied negotiations are taking place.
Speaking to reporters before departing Florida for Memphis, Trump said discussions held over the past two days had been “very, very strong” and suggested that a breakthrough could be imminent.
“We have had very, very strong talks. We’ll see where they lead. We have points, major points of agreement, I would say, almost all points of agreement,” Trump said, adding that U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner had conducted the talks with Iranian counterparts.
“All I’m saying is, we are in the throes of a real possibility of making a deal,” he stated.
Trump declined to specify which Iranian officials were involved but said the United States was not dealing directly with Iran’s supreme leadership.
“We’re dealing with the man who I believe is the most respected and the leader,” he said, adding that Iran “had some leaders left.”
The remarks marked the most optimistic assessment yet from Washington since hostilities erupted at the end of February, with the war now entering its fourth week and threatening broader regional escalation, including disruption to global energy supplies.
Senior Israeli political sources in Jerusalem told Epoch Magazine Israel that the United States informed Israel in advance of the contacts and Trump’s decision to delay further escalation, asking Israel to refrain from striking Iranian power plants and infrastructure during the five-day window.
The sources said Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan worked behind the scenes to mediate between Washington and Tehran, with Pakistan serving as the lead intermediary. They added that while U.S. contacts were handled by Witkoff and Kushner, Israeli officials believed Iran’s side may have been represented by Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a senior civilian figure closely aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which currently holds significant influence.
However, Iranian officials and diplomatic missions pushed back, signaling skepticism and denying that any negotiations were underway.
By Tom Ozimek
