Iran Denies Negotiations With U.S. After Trump Announces “Productive Conversations”

Iran on Monday denied holding any talks with the United States, directly contradicting remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, who claimed that “productive conversations” had taken place between the two sides.

The semi-official Mehr News Agency, citing an Iranian source, said there is “no dialogue” between Tehran and Washington. The source suggested that Trump’s comments were aimed at lowering energy prices and buying time to implement military plans.

While acknowledging that regional countries have proposed initiatives to reduce tensions, the source stressed: “We are not the party that started this war, and all such demands should be directed to Washington.”

Trump, however, said Monday that he had ordered a five-day postponement of all strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure, citing “very good and productive” talks with Tehran over the past two days.

On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said:

“I am pleased to report that the United States of America and the country of Iran have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.”

He added that based on the “tenor and tone of these in-depth, detailed, and constructive conversations, which will continue throughout the week,” the Department of Defense has been instructed to pause all military strikes for a five-day period, pending the success of ongoing discussions.

The announcement comes amid continued regional escalation following a joint U.S.–Israel offensive on Iran launched on February 28, which has reportedly killed over 1,340 people, including the then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

In retaliation, Tehran has carried out drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets, causing casualties, infrastructure damage, and disruptions to global markets and aviation.