Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday denied that Tehran is holding negotiations with the United States, countering President Donald Trump’s statement that talks would resume the same day.
Iran is not currently having negotiations with the United States, the spokesman said, adding that the country has no plans to host or send delegations during these days.
As long as the U.S. continues to violate the ceasefire agreement and the peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will not change significantly, Baghaei said.
Iran is holding talks with Oman to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the spokesman.
Trump said on Sunday (Eastern Time) that negotiations with Iran will begin Monday afternoon, noting that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar had asked the United States to call off planned strikes because "they think there's a deal."
On June 18, Iran and the United States signed the MoU, under which the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within a 60-day period to reach a final agreement. However, the talks' fate is hanging in the balance due to the recent escalation between them.
The U.S. military launched multiple waves of strikes against Iranian targets last month, saying they were in response to Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and aimed at "degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping." Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. military bases and facilities in the region.
Iran denies talks with US despite Trump claim
