White House erupts over report claiming Iran is ignoring Trump’s pleas

The White House has lashed out at a report claiming the Donald Trump administration has been privately seeking negotiations with Iran — only to be met with silence from Tehran.

The allegation, published by Drop Site News, says Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has been sending messages to Iranian officials in recent days in an attempt to restart peace talks amid the escalating war.

According to the report, the outreach has been ignored.

The claim directly contradicts Trump’s public stance. As recently as Sunday night, the president insisted Iran was desperate to negotiate, telling reporters the country “wants to negotiate badly.”

Private outreach, public denial

Reporter Jeremy Scahill wrote that two Iranian officials confirmed Witkoff had contacted senior figures in Tehran, including foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, exploring ways to reopen diplomatic channels.

The officials said Tehran did not respond.

Iran has also reportedly received messages from the White House through intermediaries in third countries. One senior Iranian official told the outlet that the window for direct negotiations had once again been closed.

Araghchi has previously pointed to two surprise attacks during earlier talks — one during negotiations last summer and another during the US-Israeli offensive authorised by Trump known as Operation Epic Fury.

White House fires back

The administration responded with fury, dismissing the report as propaganda.

A White House spokesperson accused Drop Site News of spreading “pure fiction” and “carrying water for the Iranian terrorist regime,” urging readers to discard the claims.

The spokesperson insisted the military campaign would continue until Iran “no longer poses a military threat.”

Behind the rhetoric, the dispute highlights a widening credibility gap in the information war surrounding the conflict. Washington says Tehran is begging for talks. Iranian officials say the opposite — that they are ignoring the messages.

With the war intensifying and diplomacy frozen, the political stakes are rising on both sides.

White House angry over report claims Iran ignoring Trump admin’s pleas