Tehran denies any talks with Washington despite Trump comment
Iran said on Wednesday that no negotiation process is underway with the United States, rejecting President Donald Trump’s claim a day earlier that the two sides had begun talks.
Iran said on Wednesday that no negotiation process is underway with the United States, rejecting President Donald Trump’s claim a day earlier that the two sides had begun talks.
“There is no process of negotiation between Iran and the United States,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran.
“As the foreign minister has said many times, talking to a side that does not believe in mutual respect and takes pride in military aggression against Iran has no logical justification.”
Trump said on Tuesday that the United States was talking with Iran and that he believed Tehran wanted a deal “very badly.”
Speaking at the White House alongside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he said, “I am totally open to it, and we’re talking to them, and we start a process.”
The US president added that “it would be a nice thing to have a deal with Iran,” saying he thought the two sides could reach one with Saudi support.
Washington and Tehran held indirect contacts earlier this year over Iran’s nuclear program and regional issues, but the talks stopped after Israel launched a 12-day military campaign in June, followed by US strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites.
No message to US via Riyadh
Baghaei also addressed reports about a recent message from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Saudi crown prince, saying it had only bilateral content.
He said the message, delivered by the new head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, expressed Iran’s gratitude for Saudi Arabia’s assistance to Iranian pilgrims last year and stressed the need for continued cooperation for this year’s pilgrimage.
