Are the U.S. and Iran negotiating? President Trump says talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are happening right now, but Tehran flatly denies it. The diplomatic confusion comes as another cargo ship is attacked, sending oil prices higher.

Trump States Talks Underway on Reopening Strait of Hormuz; Iran Says No Negotiations with U.S.

Aug. 4, 2026, 7:11 AM EDT

President Donald Trump stated that discussions with Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz were occurring and could produce an initial agreement as early as Tuesday. Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said no negotiations with the United States were taking place.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center reported that a cargo vessel was struck by an unknown projectile near the Oman coast of the strait on Monday night. Traffic through the strait remained limited, and the international oil benchmark Brent crude fell 2.7 percent on Tuesday.

On Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iran had requested meetings on ending the conflict but then stated that no discussions were occurring. “They ask for a meeting, some would say ‘beg,’” he wrote. “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.’”

Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters that Iran currently has no negotiations with the United States. Baghaei said Iran is holding discussions with Oman regarding a temporary safe route through the strait and has no plans to host foreign delegations or send negotiators abroad in the coming days.

Trump later told reporters at the White House that negotiations with Iran were ongoing. “It’s an amazing thing we have a little problem with Iran because we have many talks, and we’ll say we have or we don’t have,” he said. “You know, we’re straight about it, but they deny it. But they’re not denying it now. They just put out a statement not denying it.” He added that the parties were discussing having the strait “open literally by tomorrow, completely open, and that’s phase one,” with a second phase to address Iran’s nuclear program.

The president had previously suspended planned strikes on Iran to allow for the reported discussions. The UKMTO stated that the vessel struck on Monday night was a dry bulk carrier. Maritime sources cited by Reuters said the crew abandoned the ship and one seafarer remained unaccounted for. The vessel had been traveling with its transponder off along the Omani coast.

In normal conditions, approximately 100 vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz daily. An NBC News analysis of MarineTraffic data showed at least six vessels passed through on Monday. Several, including the Chinese-owned tanker Starway and the Indian-managed Horizon 1, used the route south of Iran’s Larak Island. Other vessels have traveled near the Omani coast without broadcasting positions.

Iran and Oman have conducted separate talks on establishing a temporary safe passage. No agreement on such a route has been announced. The vessel struck Monday was operating in the area without an agreed safe corridor in place.

The combination of limited transits and the reported incident has kept shipping activity low. No additional attacks were reported in the 24 hours after the Monday evening event.