Trump rejected efforts to launch Iran ceasefire talks: Reuters

Ahram Online , Saturday 14 Mar 2026

President Donald Trump's administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war that started two weeks ago ​with a massive US-Israeli air assault, according to three sources familiar with the efforts who spoke to Reuters.

Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. AFP

 

Iran, for its part, has rejected the possibility of any ceasefire until US and Israeli ‌strikes end, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters, adding that several countries had been trying to mediate an end to the conflict.

Oman, which mediated talks before the war, has tried multiple times to open a line of communication, but the White House has made clear it is not interested, ​according to two sources, who, like others in this story, were granted anonymity in order to speak freely about diplomatic matters.

A senior White House official confirmed to Reuters that Trump has rebuffed those efforts to start talks and ​is focused on pressing ahead with the war to further weaken Tehran's military capabilities.

"He's not interested in that right now, and we're going to continue with the mission unabated. Maybe there's a day, but not right now," the official told Reuters.

Egypt, which was involved in mediation before the war, has also tried to reopen communications, according to three security and diplomatic sources.

While the efforts do not appear to have made progress, they have secured some military restraint from neighboring countries hit by Iran, according to one of the sources who spoke to Reuters.

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