World · 2 March 2026
Iran Refuses All Talks with Washington as Emergency Leadership Council Takes Power
Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani declared publicly on X that Tehran "will not negotiate with the United States," directly contradicting President Trump who said Iranian officials "want to talk." The Wall Street Journal had reported Iran was seeking back-channel contact through Oman. Iran is currently governed by a three-member emergency council, comprising President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and jurist Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, while the process to select a new Supreme Leader begins. No timeline for that process has been given.
Reported by NPR · How we write briefs