Witkoff and Araghchi:- the men leading US-Iran talks

MUSCAT – US special envoy Steve Witkoff has spearheaded talks on Gaza and Ukraine, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is Iran’s face abroad.

On Friday, they meet in Muscat following a deadly crackdown on a mass protest movement against the Islamic republic that saw the United States threaten military action before agreeing to talks.

Here are short profiles of the two lead negotiators:

With no prior experience in foreign policy, he landed one of the world’s biggest jobs as US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, and has since led talks on Gaza and Ukraine.

Real estate magnate Witkoff first stepped into the spotlight when his close friend Trump credited him with sealing what ended up being a short-lived truce in the Israel-Hamas war.

He also took part in previous high-level talks with Iran over its nuclear programme last year — abruptly ended by Israel’s 12-day war against the Islamic republic, which the US briefly joined.

Witkoff and Araghchi met at those discussions, which also took place in Oman.

A 68-year-old billionaire and a regular golfing partner of Trump’s, Witkoff later became the first US official to visit Gaza since the war began with Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel.

Fast-forward to October 2025, when Trump took all the credit for brokering the deal that finally brought the Gaza war to a halt, it was Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law and emissary Jared Kushner who thrashed out the US position and ultimately got an agreement over the line.

Witkoff has also spearheaded negotiations on Ukraine and was, ahead of the discussions with Iran, in Abu Dhabi for the latest round of talks on the Ukraine war