Iran has rejected claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that new negotiations aimed at ending hostilities between the two countries were set to begin on Monday, insisting that no such talks are taking place.
Trump had announced that after calling off what he described as major planned military strikes against Iran, fresh peace negotiations would begin on Monday.
He made the remarks on Sunday while speaking aboard the U.S. presidential aircraft, Air Force One.
“We are talking to them through negotiations. They will begin tomorrow afternoon,” Trump said.
He also claimed that Iran, together with several U.S. allies in the Middle East, had urged him to halt the planned strikes because a pathway toward an agreement had already been established.
However, on Monday, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed those claims, stating that it is not engaged in any negotiations with the United States and that there are no plans to begin such talks.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran is instead holding discussions with Oman focused on reaching an understanding over measures to safeguard maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz.
Previous contacts between Washington and Tehran have largely taken place through intermediaries, but they have failed to produce a lasting breakthrough. Although Trump has repeatedly suggested that a peace agreement is within reach, retaliatory attacks between the two sides have continued.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said the United States remains prepared to launch military strikes whenever necessary, while emphasizing that he does not want more people to lose their lives in the conflict.
Trump also said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, along with other U.S. allies in the region, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, had urged him not to proceed with the strikes he had planned over the weekend.
“There is an agreement on Hormuz, and there will also be an agreement regarding the nuclear weapons program,” Trump said.
Iran’s Mehr News Agency also rejected Trump’s claim that Tehran had asked him to halt the planned strikes, describing his remarks as “another new lie.”
Trump had previously said the planned strikes against Iran would have been “the largest attack since World War II,” but explained that he suspended them to give diplomacy a chance.
