U.S. Envoy's Diplomatic Relay Race Includes Israel, Abu Dhabi, Then Iran

KEY POINTS

•White House envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul on Friday.
•Prior to that, Witkoff will visit Israel to meet Prime Minister Netanyahu and the IDF Chief of Staff, then Abu Dhabi for peace talks.
•Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar have been facilitating renewed negotiations with Iran amid conflicting demands over deal terms.

In the great diplomatic game of musical chairs, Steve Witkoff, White House envoy and apparently the busiest traveler this side of a FedEx truck, is set to sprint through Israel, Abu Dhabi, and Turkey within a week to chat down tensions with Iran. Friday's planned tête-à-tête with Iran’s Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul—dubbed 'best case scenario' by a cautious third source who clearly checks their calendar anxiously—would be the first U.S.-Iran official meet since the not-so-pleasant 12-day war last June. Meanwhile, Trump’s demand for the deal to cover nuclear, missile, and proxy issues clashes with Iran's 'nuclear-only' RSVP. Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar play diplomatic cupids, chatting up Araghchi on Monday while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian orders a restart on negotiations. As Witkoff collects meetings like trophies, including Netanyahu's personal invite and a briefing from Israel's Gen. Zamir on war plans, he plans a multilateral peace pow-wow with Russia and Ukraine midweek before the grand nuclear showdown. All eyes on Istanbul, where hope, skepticism, and airline rewards points collide.