Aug. 3 (UPI) — Iran on Monday denied a claim by President Donald Trump that the two countries have returned to the negotiating table, an official said.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei told reporters that Iran is only in talks with Oman, as the two countries negotiate safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
“We currently have no negotiations with the United States,” Baqaei told the semi-official FARS News Agency on Monday.
“Instead, we are working, in consultation with Oman, to determine a route for vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz at the earliest opportunity,” he added. “This arrangement is naturally temporary and is intended to ensure the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Trump had told reporters on Sunday evening that talks with Iran would begin Monday afternoon, nearly a month after negotiations faltered and fighting intensified.
The announcement came after Trump once again threatened Iran with destruction, as he has multiple times throughout the war, only to later back off while claiming negotiations were taking place.
On Friday, it was reported that the U.S. and Israeli militaries were launching massive strikes this past weekend targeting Iranian energy infrastructure.
But a day later, Trump said he halted the plan because officials had reached “the perimeters of a deal.”
Iran denied that it had reached any agreement, calling Trump’s claims “false.”
In responding to Iran’s latest denials of his claims, Trump on Monday said, “Iranian Leadership is unbelievably duplicitous!”
“They ask for a meeting, some would say ‘beg,’ talks begin, with more scheduled in the immediate future, and they say, openly and proudly, that they’re not having any discussions, that nothing is being talked about, and they’re only dealing with ‘Oman,'” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump added the only way forward is “a deal or total surrender.”
