Trump reverses course, says US has ‘no talks or conversations’ with Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed claims by Iranian leadership that there are currently “no talks or conversations” between the Islamic Republic and the U.S. government. 

The statements appeared to contradict remarks he made to Trey Yingst during a Fox News interview on Monday. Trump claimed the U.S. was conducting ongoing communications with the Iranian regime, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). 

In a post on Truth Social Tuesday, Trump wrote that “There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Continuing he said, “The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” 

Trump’s post also appeared to contradict statements by his son-in-law and senior aide, Jared Kushner, who recently spoke with Yingst. 

In that conversation, Kushner said that conversations between the two countries were “more robust” than ever. 

“I can't go into the details of it, but I will say that the conversations between the U.S. government and different areas of the Iranian government at ‌all areas is probably more robust than it's maybe ever been,” Kushner said. 

The claims were rebutted by IRGC Spokesperson Brig.-Gen Hossein Mohebbi, who denied any dialogue between the two sides during remarks to the regime-affiliated Tasnim News Agency. 

In his comments, Mohebbi said the U.S. should “accept their failure.” 

“The sooner and faster the Americans accept their failure and make decisions accordingly, the more they can save their country from greater and heavier losses.” 

At the same time, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf countered Trump’s claims that the Strait of Hormuz “is open and operating.” 

The Islamic Republic News Agency, reported that Ghalibaf said, “Let me make it clear to the delusional United States that the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until the commitments of the United States in the Memorandum of Understanding, including the lifting of the blockade, the release of frozen assets, the lifting of the oil embargo, the end of the threat and military operations on all fronts, and other conditions to which the United States has committed in the memorandum are not implemented.” 

Ghalibaf also said the United States had “reneged on its commitments” in the MOU “to compensate for its heavy political defeat.” 

He reiterated threats from other Iranian leaders to escalate the conflict if the U.S. resumed military strikes, saying the Islamic Republic had used the ceasefire period to “rebuild Iran’s defense capability.”

“Of course, it is necessary to clarify that the opportunity obtained from the Memorandum of Understanding in lifting the siege and ceasefire has helped to increase Iran's economic resilience and rebuild Iran's defense capability, and the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to inflict a heavier defeat on it [the U.S.] than before, in proportion to the actions and aggression of the enemy,” Ghalibaf continued. 

His comments echoed those of a senior Iranian official, who told Reuters that Iran would shift to a “fully offensive” military posture if the United States did not lift the blockade on shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and wider region, as Iran will be ready to make decisions and take action on difficult decisions,” the official said. 

Meanwhile, Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed Al Ansari said that an agreement on the strait between Oman and Iran could facilitate the resumption of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. 

“We are also awaiting an agreement between the Sultanate of Oman and Iran regarding the Strait, which would enable us to return to the framework of negotiations,” Ansari told reporters on Tuesday. 

“The agreement over the Strait of Hormuz would make it much easier for us to resume the talks between the United States and Iran,” he added. 

On Monday, President Trump appeared to criticize Oman’s efforts to reach a separate agreement with Iran over the strait, warning that the Gulf state could face military action.

“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s--- out of them,” Trump was reported as saying during his phone interview with Yingst.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan, during a phone call, urged Trump to resume negotiations with Iran offering his nation’s support, the Turkish government reported on Tuesday. 

“Erdoğan stated that it is of great importance to make the utmost of diplomacy regarding the tensions between Iran and the United States, that we hope the talks will continue, and that Turkey will continue to support peace efforts,” Erdoğan’s office said. 

Turkey was highly critical of the U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran, with Trump claiming he prevented Erdoğan from joining the war on Iran’s side.