Iran has firmly denied that any talks are taking place with the United States. The statement came after US President Donald Trump claimed negotiations would begin and used that claim as a reason to call off planned military attacks.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei made the position clear on Monday. He said no negotiations with Washington were underway and no meetings had been scheduled. Iran also had no plans to host foreign delegations or send negotiators abroad in the coming days.
Baghaei added that all Iranian negotiators were currently inside the country, except Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was on a religious pilgrimage in Iraq. The only discussions happening, he noted, were with Oman about managing the Strait of Hormuz.
A senior Iranian source confirmed to reporters that no talks were planned and that Araghchi would remain unavailable at least until the end of the week.
The exchange fits a pattern seen over the past five months. Trump has several times announced “massive attacks” on Iran only to cancel them at the last moment, often pointing to diplomatic contacts as the reason. On Sunday he said he preferred making a deal rather than killing people and claimed talks would start the next afternoon. He gave no details about the venue or participants.
Iran has publicly rejected negotiations with the United States since a June memorandum of understanding collapsed in early July. Tehran continues to insist that no dialogue is taking place.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a major point of disagreement. Washington says earlier agreements required Iran to open the waterway, while Tehran maintains it still holds authority over shipping. Oil prices fell more than 4 percent on Monday after Trump decided to hold back from military action, with Brent crude dropping to around $84 a barrel.
Despite repeated threats and responses, the United States has not achieved its stated goals of dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme or forcing major political change. The latest denial from Tehran shows the gap between the two sides remains wide.
