TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi categorically rejected rumors circulating in media and social platforms about alternative negotiators representing Iran in potential indirect talks with the United States.

In a Monday interview with an Iranian news agency, Araghchi addressed swirling rumors about alternative negotiators being tasked with backchannel talks, including former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"None of the conjectures circulating are accurate," he stated, emphasizing, "Any potential negotiations will unequivocally fall under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry and its leadership."

The remarks follow weeks of unverified claims in ran’s media sphere suggesting that figures outside the Foreign Ministry—including Zarif—were engaged in discussions with US officials.

Zarif, who previously spearheaded nuclear negotiations with global powers, dismissed these claims as baseless.

"These rumors are more akin to an April Fools' Day joke that began early and persists needlessly," he remarked in a separate interview on Monday.

The speculation arose amid a modest increase in diplomatic engagement between Iran and the United States.

Notably, this shift was exemplified by an exchange in which a letter from former U.S. President Donald Trump was delivered to Tehran via the United Arab Emirates, followed by an Iranian response routed through Oman handed over by Araghchi during his Muscat visit.

Speaking at a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran is now waiting for the U.S. decision on nuclear talks. He also dismissed “false” reports about the beginning of talks between Tehran and Washington.

In a February address, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, praised the foreign ministry’s proactive role, noting, "Today, the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran is among the most active globally. They negotiate, engage, communicate, and forge agreements with countries worldwide—Eastern, Western, and all others."