State Department says U.S.-Iran meeting will not be negotiations; special envoy Witkoff to attend

The State Department said Tuesday that an upcoming meeting involving Iranian officials is a preliminary “touch back” rather than negotiations and that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will be present.

Tammy (State Department spokesperson) told reporters she could not confirm Iranian statements about the composition or character of the talks and instead referred reporters to comments by President Donald J. Trump and Secretary Marco Rubio. She said the meeting’s purpose is to determine what might be possible in further conversations and that it should not be described as a negotiation.

When asked whether the event would include discussion of sanctions relief, missile programs, militia support or other issues beyond preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, the spokesperson declined to get ahead of diplomatic considerations. “This is a meeting. There’s no negotiations,” she said, adding that the president and secretary have emphasized ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.

Reporters also asked whether the U.S. would treat the session as direct talks. Tammy said she would defer to President Trump’s remarks and Secretary Rubio’s statements for the official characterization of the meeting.

The briefing confirmed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s attendance; Tammy said she could not confirm whether he would lead the delegation. The spokesperson repeatedly framed the session as an initial engagement to “touch base” and said further steps would depend on how the participants choose to frame the event.