US President Donald Trump on Monday called the Iranian leadership “duplicitous” for denying that talks on a deal would soon begin, and warned that “nothing gets through to Iran” without a deal or “total surrender”.
“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 said in a post on Truth Social.
Mr Trump added that the Strait of Hormuz was “completely controlled” by the US.
“Nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to, and nothing will get through, unless a deal, or total surrender, is accomplished.”
He added that the solution was “very simple”: “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Iran had earlier denied that it was holding talks with Washington. The denial came after Mr Trump said new negotiations with Iran would begin on Monday after he halted a what he said was a planned “massive attack” against the country.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaiel Baghaei dismissed Mr Trump's talks claim, saying that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was leaving for Arbaeen ceremonies in Iraq and that the rest of the negotiating team were in Iran.
Arbaeen marks the 40th day after the death of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein.
The US President said he had paused the operation against Iran after requests from Gulf states, which he said believed a diplomatic agreement was within reach. He suggested any deal would first address the Strait of Hormuz before turning to Iran's nuclear programme.
“We were all set to go … and it would've been a massive attack,” Mr Trump said. “The reason they asked [to call it off] is they think there's a deal. There's a deal on Hormuz and then there will be a deal on the denuclearisation of Iran … So, we're holding it. We'll just see.”
The US President had said talks would begin on Monday afternoon, describing the effort as negotiations rather than military action. “Now what we're doing is we're talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon – and we'll see,” he said.
Iran-Oman talks
Asked whether diplomacy faced a deadline, Mr Trump declined to set one, saying the US was prepared to act whenever necessary, but that he preferred a negotiated outcome because he was “not looking to kill people”.
Mr Baghaei later said that Tehran was “not negotiating with the US at the moment” and that the talks with Oman were focused on reaching an understanding on a route through the Strait of Hormuz.
“These are bilateral negotiations between Iran and Oman as the two coastal states. Others can play a constructive or destructive role in the process, but the issue itself concerns Iran and Oman,” Mr Baghaei said.
The latest shift marks another turn in a conflict that has swung repeatedly between threats of escalation and diplomatic overtures. Mr Trump has previously warned of broader strikes before pausing military action to allow further negotiations that have yet to yield a comprehensive agreement.
The war, launched by the US alongside Israel in late February, has expanded beyond Iran and Israel, with attacks spreading across the Gulf, the Red Sea and to a Mediterranean facility in Egypt.
Iran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began, disrupting a waterway that carries about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, pushing up energy prices and inflation concerns.
Oil prices fell more than four per cent in Monday trading as investors reacted to the prospect of renewed diplomacy and a possible easing of tensions around the strategic shipping route.
Saudi call for de-escalation
During a phone call, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged Mr Trump to prioritise dialogue and support efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Middle East, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
The crown prince stressed the need to de-escalate tensions through dialogue and to make every effort to achieve a ceasefire that could pave the way for diplomatic solutions.
He warned against the risk of the region being drawn into a broader conflict, saying such a scenario would have consequences for regional and global security and stability.
As the gears of diplomacy turned, Mr Araghchi held separate calls with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir to discuss diplomatic efforts. Prince Faisal also received calls from his Qatari and Jordanian counterparts.
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, and Mr Araghchi discussed the continuation of close co-operation and consultation aimed at establishing lasting peace and stability in the region, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.
Pakistan invited Mr Araghchi to visit Islamabad at the earliest opportunity.
The official Irna news agency reported that negotiations between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz were nearing completion. However, Iran's Foreign Ministry said the talks with Oman focused on a proposed new shipping route rather than reopening the strait itself.
Despite Mr Trump's latest U-turn on threatened strikes against Iran, Israel signalled it would continue preparing military options. Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Israel remained closely co-ordinated with the US and would strike if Iran resumed its nuclear or ballistic missile programmes.
Mr Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Washington last week to discuss options ranging from diplomacy and economic pressure to military force.
On Monday, CNN reported that a senior US Central Command officer asked analysts for “new creative and unconventional ways” to pressure Iran. The network said the unusual email-based brainstorming effort reflected concerns that existing strikes had failed to force Tehran to make a deal.
