Trump's Iran Talks Aren't Showing Much Progress to People on the Ground -- WSJ

By Summer Said and Benoit Faucon

Middle Eastern intermediators have been racing for days to get talks going to end the war between the U.S. and Iran, but said the gaps between the parties remain enormous and that progress remains fleeting.

The diagnosis appears to be at odds with President Trump's announcement that the U.S. and Iran have been having productive discussions to end the war. Trump said Monday that talks have been held with a respected Iranian leader and that the two sides had major points of agreement. He told reporters that discussions would continue Monday and that there could be a deal very soon.

Iran's Foreign Ministry denied it was engaging in talks with the U.S. but acknowledged countries in the region were trying to get diplomacy going.

Arab officials said they have been talking separately with both sides, but that Iran has set a high bar for ending hostilities that is preventing discussions from gaining traction.

"These are sensitive diplomatic discussions, and the United States will not negotiate through the news media," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial thoroughfare for the Gulf's energy exports, has been a focus of the efforts, the Arab officials said. Iran has all but shut the strait by attacking ships that try to transit through. Arab mediators have proposed putting the strategic waterway under the control of a neutral, regional committee to allow all ships to pass through, they said.

Egypt also floated a five-day halt to the fighting to build confidence for a cease-fire, some of the officials said.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, charged with protecting the regime and a decisive voice in how the conflict ends, in reply demanded a new order for the Strait of Hormuz that would allow Iran to collect fees from ships that transit the waterway, as Egypt does now with the Suez Canal, those people said.

The Revolutionary Guard also demanded guarantees the war wouldn't restart, an end to Israel's strikes on the Iran-aligned Lebanese militia Hezbollah, closing of U.S. bases in the Gulf and compensation for damage done to Iran during the war, those people said.

Many of the Iranian demands voiced in private mediation efforts- positions that have only hardened since the second week of the war -reflect those Tehran has floated in public. Having survived more than 16,000 U.S. and Israeli airstrikes with its control intact and still able to hit sensitive targets across the Gulf, the regime has made clear it won't simply end the war with a cease-fire that allows it to be attacked later.

The risk is a settlement that entrenches Iranian influence over Gulf energy exports for years to come.

Gulf officials objected to the idea of fees, with Saudi Arabia saying the kingdom wouldn't allow Iran to have the upper hand in operations in the strait, some of the people said. The U.S. continues to push for a suspension of Iran's missile program, an end to enrichment of uranium and support for regional militias, and an unconditional opening of the Strait of Hormuz, some of the people said.

Asked Monday who would control the Strait of Hormuz after the war, Trump told reporters, "Maybe me." He added new Iranian leadership would also play a role.

Iranian and Arab officials expressed skepticism about the chances of success for Trump's diplomatic push, saying it appeared to be an attempt to damp oil prices, which fell sharply after he said there was progress in the talks.

Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan have been talking separately to U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Egypt also spoke with representatives of the Revolutionary Guard, some of the officials said.

Qatar and Oman have also engaged with both sides to end the conflict and find an understanding on how transits through Hormuz could resume with Iran's agreement, some of the officials said.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said Sunday it held talks with Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Iran and Witkoff. Turkish state media said its foreign minister held talks with Araghchi and unnamed U.S. officials.

This item is part of a Wall Street Journal live coverage event. The full stream can be found by searching P/WSJL (WSJ Live Coverage).

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 23, 2026 11:36 ET (15:36 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.