Iran denies negotiating with US after Trump announces talks
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TEHRAN: Iran denied any negotiations were taking place with the United States after President Donald Trump said new talks would begin on Monday (Aug 3) in an effort to end their war, now in its sixth month.
The rebuttal by the Iranian foreign ministry follows Trump saying he had held off launching new strikes on the Islamic Republic to allow for further diplomatic efforts, a familiar pattern in the conflict.
Washington and Tehran have been at war since Feb 28, when the US and Israel launched surprise strikes against Iran, though months of on-off diplomacy have led to periods of relative calm.
Trump last week threatened to hit Iran "very hard", with the US leader reportedly considering renewed attacks, including against energy infrastructure.
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But the president pulled back from that threat on Saturday, saying the "perimeters" of a deal were there.
Iran's foreign ministry, however, denied there were currently negotiations taking place.
"We are not currently negotiating with the United States. Our negotiations are with Oman to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei during a weekly press briefing.
The Hormuz shipping route is a major sticking point in efforts to end the war. Iran has obstructed vessels attempting to pass the critical trade corridor, firing on commercial ships.
Before the war, there was free passage through the strait, but Iran now insists on retaining control and charging fees, something the US rejects.
Tehran has refused to let ships travel any route other than one which hugs the Iranian coast.
On Sunday, Baqaei told state television that a deal was close on managing Hormuz together with Oman, which sits on the other side of the narrow waterway.
"We are now going to reach an understanding on a route acceptable to both sides - neither the northern route nor the southern route - but one that respects the sovereign rights of both sides and safeguards our national interests and security," he said.
But he insisted that such an agreement did not mean the reopening of the strait.
"IT BEGINS TOMORROW"
On Sunday, a tanker off the coast of Oman reported hearing an explosion nearby, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported, but the ship and crew were all reported safe.
Trump told reporters on Sunday that the new talks with Iran would cover Hormuz and ultimately the denuclearisation of Iran.
The US president said at the start of the conflict that the war was necessary to deal with Iran's nuclear programme. Western nations accuse Iran of seeking a bomb, though Tehran insists the programme is entirely civilian in nature.
"Now what we're doing is we're talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, without providing details of the venue or participants.
The president said he had been asked by Iran as well as US partners Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to hold off on further strikes, which he claimed would have been "the biggest attack since World War II".
Iranian media denied that Tehran had asked Trump not to strike.
Trump has repeatedly claimed a settlement to end the war is near, only for fighting to resume. He has previously issued apocalyptic warnings to Tehran, only to later backtrack by saying diplomacy was underway.
A previous ceasefire deal between the foes fell through last month. It was supposed to open the Strait of Hormuz to ships carrying vital energy exports from the Gulf to feed the global economy.
Iranian lawmaker Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesman for the parliament's national security commission, said on Sunday that mediators were trying to revive the US-Iran memorandum of understanding that was agreed in June.
That agreement was not intended as a final peace deal, but as a stepping stone to negotiations on a comprehensive agreement, though it did include provisions on Hormuz.
"They know that the main issue and, in fact, the key to the matter right now is the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, so yes, there is an exchange of views," Ghashghavi said.
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