Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Monday that no negotiations have taken place with the United States, contradicting President Donald Trump’s claim that recent talks led Washington to delay planned military strikes on Iranian infrastructure.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf said Iranians want what he described as full punishment for the aggressors and said officials stand firmly with the country’s leadership and people. He also dismissed reports of talks with Washington as fake news intended to manipulate financial and oil markets and help the United States and Israel escape what he called a quagmire.
His statement came after Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social that the United States had delayed planned strikes on Iranian power facilities and other key infrastructure for five days after what he described as very good and productive negotiations over the previous two days.
President Trump said that the talks were meant to bring about a “complete and total resolution” of violence in the Middle East. He stated that because of the “tenor and tone” of what he called in-depth, thorough, and constructive talks, he had told the U.S. military to hold off on any strikes while talks continued all week.
Speaking with reporters on Monday, President Trump claimed U.S. envoys had held talks with a senior Iranian figure about ending hostilities, but Iran has denied that any such discussions took place.
The Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led earlier rounds of diplomacy, but it does not show that any new negotiations are active now.
The conflicting statements leave the status of any backchannel effort unclear. As of Ghalibaf’s latest public remarks, Iran’s position is that no talks with the United States are underway.
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