Iran’s FM says ‘Signalgate’ further fuels Tehran’s skepticism of US political overtures

Washington is still sorting through the fallout from news that a reporter was included in a Signal chat with national security adviser Michael Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, VP JD Vance and other administration officials. (Photo by Getty Images)

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the leak of top-secret attack plans of the United States has further deepened Tehran’s skepticism of political overtures recently made by Washington.

In a post on his official X account on Thursday, Araghchi said, “People around the globe—including Americans—now see how US officials look at world affairs. Some highlight severe incompetence and, more importantly, total disregard for human life in the decision making.”

“As for Iran, we see perhaps another reason to take the recent political overtures with a huge grain of salt,” Iran’s top diplomat stressed in his post, which was a reply to a piece of the leaked chat on making military plans against Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah resistance movement and accusing Tehran of funding the movement.

Araghchi’s comments followed American journalist Jeffrey Goldberg’s publication of two articles in The Atlantic on Monday and Wednesday, revealing classified discussions among Vice President JD Vance, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

Goldberg was mistakenly added to the group, granting him access to sensitive operational details and triggering a major security breach now known as “Signalgate”, which has sparked concerns over the handling of classified information and the use of unsecured communication platforms.

The fallout has led to calls for accountability, with lawmakers demanding investigations and questioning officials’ judgment, although the White House keeps trying to downplay the gravity of the incident, analyzing wording and attacking the journalist who was accidentally included in the chat.

The leak has also strained international relations by exposing sensitive military detail - including plans for US bombings, drone launches and targeting information of the assault - potentially undermining allied trust, while the White House’s response has faced criticism, intensifying debates over transparency and security protocols.

On March 7, Trump announced he had written to Iran to call for nuclear negotiations and threaten military action. The letter was delivered to Tehran on March 12 by UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash.

Trump’s call for negotiation comes as his administration recently restored the so-called maximum pressure policy against the Islamic Republic, which was first introduced during his initial term in office in 2016.

Under this policy, Trump withdrew the United States from a landmark agreement on Iran's nuclear program in 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran.

The 2015 deal, signed between Tehran and world powers, saw Iran commit to temporary confidence-building restrictions on its nuclear activities in exchange for the removal of Western-imposed economic sanctions.