This is the first round of direct communication reported between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken by phone several times since Israel began its strikes on Iran last week, in a bid to find a diplomatic end to the crisis,

Israel and Iran have been enemies for decades — but this is their most sustained direct fighting ever. Here’s how a shadow war erupted into an overt conflict.