United States President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that new negotiations with Iran would begin on Monday after he called off what he described as a massive planned military strike against the country.
However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry contradicted Trump’s claim on Monday, saying Tehran was not currently engaged in direct talks with Washington.
Trump told reporters as he returned to Washington from a weekend in New Jersey that he had cancelled the planned strikes following requests from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iran.
He described a deal as “imminent” and said the proposed talks would focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz before addressing Iran’s nuclear programme.
“I think there is a deal. There is a deal on the Strait of Hormuz. Then there will be an agreement on the nuclear issue,” Trump said.
When asked whether Iran had been given a deadline to reach an agreement, Trump declined to provide one, adding: “Would I rather make a deal? I’m not looking to kill people.”
Trump said the planned operation would have been “the biggest attack since World War II” but maintained that the United States remained prepared to strike at any time.
He said Gulf allies had urged him to pursue a diplomatic resolution.
However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, rejected Trump’s assertion during a press conference on Monday, saying there was no immediate plan for direct negotiations with the United States.
“We are not going to host a delegation or be guests of a country during these days,” Baghaei said.
He said Tehran was currently engaged only in discussions with Oman regarding a temporary safe route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Baghaei added that even an agreement with Oman would not be sufficient to reopen the strait while what Iran described as continued American “aggression” persisted.
The latest development follows a recent cycle of strikes between the two sides that failed to resolve the impasse over the Strait of Hormuz.
The conflict has since expanded to the Red Sea and Egypt, raising concerns about further disruption to global trade and energy supplies.
The announcement of possible negotiations briefly raised hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough, although Iran’s denial of direct talks has created uncertainty over whether the proposed discussions will take place.
(The Whistler)