Trump Says Iran Talks Begin Monday, Tehran Denies Any Meetings

President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States had called off planned strikes on Iran after regional allies and Tehran itself urged a pause to allow for a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and address Iran's nuclear program. He described the planned attack as the largest since World War II and said negotiations would begin the next day. Iranian officials immediately pushed back, stating that no talks with the United States were scheduled or under way.

Trump's comments came as he returned to Washington from New Jersey. He told reporters aboard Air Force One that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar had asked him to stand down because they believed an agreement was close. He also said Iran had made the request "very strongly." The proposed terms, he added, centered on restoring shipping through the strait, a vital waterway for global oil supplies that has been disrupted since the conflict intensified earlier this year, along with limits on Iran's nuclear activities.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said Monday that Tehran was not hosting or sending any delegations for talks with Washington. The only discussions underway, he said, involved Oman and focused on managing shipping routes through the strait in ways that respect Iranian sovereignty. Iranian officials have long used Oman as an intermediary in past contacts with the United States, but they drew a clear line against direct negotiations now.

The exchange fits a pattern that has repeated several times during the conflict. Trump has announced impending military action only to later describe last-minute diplomatic openings, often without providing details on timelines, participants or verification mechanisms. Regional governments have at times played visible roles in these reversals, reflecting their own concerns about escalation and its economic fallout.

The Strait of Hormuz remains central to any potential agreement. Roughly one-fifth of global oil trade passes through it, and disruptions have already affected energy prices. An arrangement that satisfies both Iranian security concerns and the interests of Gulf Arab states and international shippers would require careful sequencing and monitoring, issues that past nuclear talks have shown are difficult to resolve quickly.

Trump has not set a deadline for reaching terms and has emphasized his preference for avoiding further casualties. At the same time, he has warned that the United States remains prepared to act if talks fail. Iranian statements, meanwhile, continue to tie any progress on shipping to broader questions of sanctions relief and security guarantees, topics that have stalled previous diplomatic efforts.

The gap between the administration's public optimism and Iran's flat denial leaves the immediate path forward unclear. Past rounds of indirect contacts have produced limited understandings on specific issues while larger disputes over nuclear enrichment and regional influence have persisted. How those dynamics play out in the coming days will depend on whether Oman or other mediators can bridge the current differences or whether the cycle of threats and pauses resumes.