Iran has dismissed claims by Donald Trump that it held productive talks with Washington, after the US president delayed a threatened strike on Iran’s power grid, citing what he described as encouraging discussions with Iranian officials.
Tehran said on Monday that no negotiations had taken place with the United States, directly contradicting Trump’s account, which briefly calmed financial markets and sent oil prices sharply lower.
A European official said there had been no direct contact between Washington and Tehran, but confirmed that messages were being passed via Egypt, Pakistan and several Gulf states.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the US and Iran had engaged in “very good and productive” conversations towards a “complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East,” and that he was postponing for five days a plan to strike Iran’s energy grid.
The announcement sparked a rally in equities and pushed oil prices below $100 a barrel, reversing losses triggered by Trump’s weekend threats and Iran’s warning of retaliation.
Speaking to reporters before travelling from Florida to Memphis, Trump said his special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner had held discussions late into Sunday with a senior Iranian figure and would continue on Monday.
He claimed there were “major points of agreement,” though he declined to name the Iranian interlocutor.
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the powerful speaker of Iran’s parliament swiftly rejected the suggestion, branding the reports “fakenews” in a post on X.
Qulibaf accused Washington of attempting to manipulate financial and oil markets, and said Iran’s leadership stood firmly behind its supreme leader as the conflict continued.
Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had launched fresh attacks on US targets, dismissing Trump’s remarks as “psychological operations.”
It claimed strikes on several Israeli cities and US bases, describing military action as its form of negotiation.
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Israel’s military said it detected missiles launched from Iran on Monday night, the first such incident since Trump’s comments, with at least one interception heard over Jerusalem.
In a video address, Benjamin Netanyahu said he had spoken with Trump and that Israel would continue operations in Lebanon and Iran.
He added that the US president believed recent military gains could potentially be leveraged into a deal that preserved Israel’s vital interests.
Despite Tehran’s public denials, Iran’s foreign ministry acknowledged diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions.
It said Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had discussed developments in the Strait of Hormuz with his Omani counterpart and agreed to continue consultations.
Iran has effectively closed the strategic waterway, through which around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows.
Trump has demanded it be reopened, while Tehran insists it will remain shut until US and Israeli attacks cease.
A Pakistani official said US Vice President JD Vance, alongside Witkoff and Kushner, was expected in Islamabad for meetings with Iranian officials following a call between Trump and Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir.
It was said that the White House confirmed the call but declined to comment on prospective talks, describing the situation as fluid.
Iranian media also reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had discussed the war’s impact on regional and global security, with Tehran expressing a desire to strengthen cooperation with neighbouring states.
The conflict, launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, has killed more than 2,000 people, according to figures cited by Iranian officials, with fears growing that further escalation could severely disrupt global energy supplies.