Trump Claims Iran Talks Underway After Halting Strikes as Tehran Denies Direct Contact

WASHINGTON/TEHRAN — President Donald Trump said the United States has resumed negotiations with Iran following his decision to call off major military strikes, though Iranian officials publicly rejected claims of direct engagement and insisted negotiations remain limited to maritime route safety with Oman.

The diplomatic standoff comes as both nations weigh the future of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of global petroleum traffic passes. Commercial traffic through the waterway remains severely restricted, with analytics firm Kpler recording only nine vessel transits on Sunday, primarily using Iranian-controlled channels.

Trump stated he suspended planned strikes—which he described as potentially the largest U.S. military operation since World War II—at the request of Gulf allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. He asserted that the renewed discussions represent Iran’s “last chance” to reach a settlement on reopening the strait and resolving disputes over its nuclear program.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei countered Washington’s account on Monday, stating Tehran is not conducting direct negotiations with the U.S. and that discussions are occurring solely with neighboring Oman to establish a temporary safe navigation passage.

Trump responded to Tehran’s denial on his Truth Social platform, accusing Iranian leadership of being “unbelievably duplicitous” while maintaining that discussions between the two sides are actively occurring behind closed doors.

Tehran is simultaneously moving to shore up regional commercial and political ties. Iranian Industry Minister Mohammad Atabak arrived in Pakistan on Monday for a two-day visit focused on moving container traffic through Pakistani ports to circumvent an ongoing U.S. naval blockade. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Najaf, Iraq, for the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage amid broader regional security coordination.

In Tehran, Iran’s judiciary-run Mizan news agency reported the execution of two men, Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat, following their conviction on charges of spying for Israel during recent military conflicts.

Elsewhere in the region, diplomatic discussions touched on neighboring conflicts. Nikolay Mladenov, high representative for Gaza on the Board of Peace, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to press for an immediate end to military strikes in the enclave and discuss the decommissioning of weapons. The meeting coincided with fresh violence in Gaza City, where local hospital officials reported an Israeli strike on a vehicle killed two people, following weekend strikes that left at least 17 dead.