US-Iran War, March 17 -- Even as bombs fall and official denials multiply, a slender diplomatic thread appears to have been quietly rewoven between Washington DC and Tehran. A communications channel linking US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has reportedly been reactivated in recent days, according to an Axios report citing an US official and a separate official with direct knowledge of the matter.

The development, if confirmed, however fragile and contested, represents the first point of contact between the two sides since the US-Iran war erupted more than a fortnight ago.

According to the Axios report citing the US official and the official familiar with the exchanges, it was Araghchi who initiated cont...