Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Iran on Monday firmly denied that any talks were underway with the United States, directly contradicting a claim made by US President Donald Trump that negotiations with Tehran through intermediaries were scheduled to take place the same day. The denial came from Iran’s Foreign Ministry and added a fresh layer of confusion to the already tense standoff between Washington and Tehran.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump had said that diplomatic engagements involving Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iran had led him to halt what was originally planned as a massive military attack. The remarks suggested that back channel diplomacy involving regional Gulf powers had played a role in de-escalating a potential confrontation.
However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei rejected the claim outright, saying no negotiations with the United States were taking place and that no meetings were scheduled between the two sides. His comments were an unambiguous pushback against the American president’s version of events, underscoring the deep mistrust that continues to define the relationship between the two countries.
Baghaei added that all of Iran’s negotiators were currently inside the country, apart from Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was on a religious pilgrimage in Iraq at the time of the statement. This detail was offered as further proof that no formal or informal negotiating track with Washington was active at present.
According to Baghaei, the only talks currently under way involved discussions with Oman concerning the management of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping chokepoint through which a significant share of the world’s oil trade passes. Oman has historically played the role of a discreet intermediary between Iran and Western powers, and its continued engagement suggests that regional maritime security concerns remain a live issue even as broader nuclear and political talks stay frozen.
The conflicting statements from Trump and Tehran highlight the persistent gap between American and Iranian narratives on the state of diplomacy, with each side offering a different account of what, if anything, is happening behind closed doors. Analysts tracking the standoff say such contradictions are common in periods of high tension, when both governments have incentives to shape public perception of their negotiating posture. The episode adds to uncertainty over whether a genuine diplomatic opening exists or whether both sides remain locked in a familiar cycle of claims and denials.
