Iran has issued an ominous warning to Donald Trump, just hours after the US leader claimed to have had 'very good and productive' conversations with the Middle Eastern nation.
The joint US-Israeli war against Iran has now been going on for close to a month, seeing an estimated thousands killed and a devastating fallout for global oil and gas prices.
Yesterday (23 March), there appeared to be light at the end of the tunnel when President Trump issued a Truth Social statement claiming to have had 'very good and productive' conversations with his Iranian counterparts – even claiming that he'd ordered the US Department of War to 'postpone all any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure'.
However, these claims were rapidly shut down by Iran, with the state news agency Fars branding the statement as fake news and claiming there had been no 'direct or indirect contact' with Trump.
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Now the Iranians appear to be doubling down on their stance, with a subsequent statement warning of 'special plans' for the US leader, which would 'completely remove the hope of negotiations'.
"Tonight, special events are planned for Tel Aviv and some regional allies of the US and Israel that will completely remove the hope of negotiations from the minds of the aggressors," a source claimed to Fars News Agency last night (via LBC).
The agency also shared a message on its Telegram channel further denying any contact with the US, writing: "Informed officials in Iran announced that there were no negotiations and emphasised that until the US completely withdrew, evacuated its bases in the region, paid compensation, and received valid guarantees not to repeat the aggression, neither would the war end nor would the Strait of Hormuz be reopened."
The agency added that even a cessation of hostilities would not see the Strait of Hormuz, which is responsible for a quarter of the world's oil trade, fully reopened.
"According to this report, even after the possible end of the war, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will not return to the pre-war situation," the statement read.
Trump has not responded to the latest Iranian statements, though it would appear that the five-day postponement of US strikes on energy sites is ongoing, although this does not bar Americans from launching attacks on other Iranian infrastructure, according to a report cited by The Guardian.
Are the US and Iran actually holding peace talks?
There have been conflicting accounts about whether a discussion between the US and Iran has taken place.
Speaking in Memphis, Trump had previously declared that they were 'now having really good discussions', adding: "They started last night, a little bit, the night before that. I think they're very good. They want peace. They have agreed they won't have a nuclear weapon. But we'll see."
However, Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf denied this, saying that 'no negotiations' had been held with the US.
He wrote on X: "No negotiations have been held with the US, and fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped."
Trump's Truth Social post on Monday, which said peace talks were underway to reach a 'complete and total' resolution to the conflict, did have an impact on oil prices.
From highs of $113 a barrel that day, they fell to a low of $96 per barrel, before rebounding slightly.
At the time of writing (24 March), it stands at $100 per barrel.
On Monday, Trump said Iran had 'one more opportunity to end its threats to America and our allies' and that they 'mean business', citing the two having had 'very good discussions', though he didn't elaborate any further.
Again, Iran’s Foreign Ministry reportedly denied this, according to ITV News, with Iranian state TV also claiming that Trump had backed down 'following Iran’s firm warning'.
Meanwhile, the White House has since labelled the situation with Iran as 'fluid' and that no formal meetings had been announced.
Topics: Donald Trump, Iran, US News, Israel
Brenna Cooper