Trump Aides Seek to Jump Start Diplomacy With Iran as Crisis Widens

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that U.S. negotiators had tried to jump start diplomacy with Iran on its nuclear program through talks on the side of a United Nations summit the previous day. The flurry of diplomacy came as Iran’s partners, the Houthis, pressed forward with their offensive in the region, widening a second front in a conflict that began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February. Mr. Rubio said that the Americans involved in the talks, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were carrying out President Trump’s orders to continue a dialogue with Iran that prioritized persuading the country to end nuclear development involving enriching uranium. Mr. Rubio added that Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, which occurred as a result of the war, must also be addressed. Mr. Witkoff is a special envoy for Mr. Trump, while Mr. Kushner is a businessman who is the president’s son-in-law and has no government position. Image Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy to the Middle East, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, on Tuesday in New York City at the United Nations summit. Credit... Ryan Murphy/Getty Images We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe .