Iran Denies Current Talks with US Despite Trump’s Claim of Renewed Negotiations

Hours after US President Donald Trump announced that negotiations between Washington and Tehran would resume on Monday, Iran denied holding any talks with the US at this time. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Bakaei stated that there are no ongoing discussions with the US, clarifying that talks are only taking place with Oman and solely regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Bakaei also mentioned that negotiations with Oman are in their final stages.

Trump had confirmed overnight that talks with Iran would restart, claiming there is already an agreement concerning the Strait of Hormuz and that a deal on Iran’s nuclear program is expected. He described the negotiations as efforts to "denuclearize Iran" and expressed willingness to proceed, emphasizing the potential to save many lives.

When asked why he canceled a planned strike on Iran, Trump said that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iran themselves requested the cancellation. He noted that the planned attack would have been the largest since World War II and highly destructive, but he chose to reconsider due to the requests from US allies who believed a deal was possible.