WASHINGTON, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. president's special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has led U.S. diplomatic negotiations with Iran in recent months, has not engaged in diplomacy with Iran following joint U.S.-Israel strikes on the country, CNN reported Tuesday.
The report suggests that the Trump administration has, at least for the time being, shifted away from diplomatic efforts while continuing military actions against Iran.
Witkoff has not spoken with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in the days "since this thing went kinetic," the report quoted a senior Trump administration official as saying.
Earlier in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on social media that it's too late for U.S.-Iran negotiations, arguing that the United States held the military advantage.
In another post, the U.S. president boasted "unlimited supply" of weapons, dismissing a Wall Street Journal report that highlighted the rapid depletion of air-defense interceptors and other munitions in strikes against Iran, which is reportedly "straining its stockpiles."
Meanwhile, Trump said Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran's last shah, is not someone that the White House has considered for new Iranian leadership, noting he still preferred "someone from within" to take charge.
Trump also admitted there was no evacuation plan for U.S. citizens across the Middle East region before launching the massive military campaign against Iran.
"Because it did happen all very quickly," Trump told reporters.
The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it is "actively securing" military and charter aircraft to fly Americans from the Middle East to safety as the war has deeply disrupted commercial air travel. ■