Kamal Ghorui
Iran on Monday denied holding any negotiations with the United States, dismissing claims by President Donald Trump as “fake news” stating it was aimed at manipulating “oil markets.““No negotiations have been held with the US, and fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped,” Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X.“Iranian people demand complete and remorseful punishment of the aggressors. All Irainan officials stand firmly behind their supreme leader and people until this goal is achieved,” he added.The denial came after Trump said Washington and Tehran had held “very good and productive conversations” over the past two days towards “a complete and total resolution” of hostilities in the Middle East.Sharing a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had “instructed the Department of War to postpone all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period,” adding that the pause would depend on the “success” of ongoing “meetings and discussions.”“Over the last two days, Washington and Tehran have had very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” Trump said.Speaking later near Air Force One, Trump described the talks as “very strong” and said his adviser Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were involved. “We will see where they lead,” he said. “We have major point of agreement; I would say almost all points of agreement,” he added.Referring to the temporary pause, the US president said, “We’re doing a five day period, and we’ll see how that goes. If it goes well, we’re going to end up with settling this.” He warned, “Otherwise, we’ll just keep bombing our little hearts out.” He also suggested Iran may be willing to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions in exchange for peace.“They called, I didn’t call. They called. They want to make a deal,” Trump said, adding that “partners in the Middle East” were also part of the discussions.Trump further claimed the US was in contact with a “most respected” figure in Iran’s leadership, though not the supreme leader. “I can’t name the person … because I don’t want him to be killed,” he said.Earlier, Iranian state media also rejected these assertions, with the foreign ministry describing Trump’s decision to pause strikes as “part of efforts to lower energy prices and buy time for the implementation of his military plans.”Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim portrayed the US move as a climbdown under pressure. “Since the start of the war, messages have been sent to Tehran by some mediators, but Iran’s clear response has been that it will continue its defense until the required level of deterrence is achieved,” Tasnim reported.“No negotiations have taken place and none are underway. … With this kind of psychological warfare, neither the Strait of Hormuz will return to prewar conditions nor will calm return to energy markets,” it added.
