TEHRAN, AUG 4: Iran defends its borders but does not seek an expansion of war, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday according to state media.
While US President Donald Trump said on Monday that talks with Iran were underway, Tehran has denied that any negotiations were planned.
Conflicting signals from the United States and Iran over the status of talks to end their five-month-old war boosted uncertainty on Tuesday, with the latest attack on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz highlighting risks to global energy flows.
Trump said the talks were under way on Monday, warning of a “last chance” for Tehran to sign a good deal, but Iran denied that negotiations were being held or planned.
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“They are going on right now,” Trump told reporters at an Oval Office event when asked about the state of negotiations.
“This is a last chance for them (Iran) to sign a good document.”
The comments followed Trump’s weekend decision to call off “massive attacks” he said he had authorized on Iran, as talks were to be held, repeating a pattern in which he has vowed major strikes only to cancel them.
Earlier on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said no negotiations with the United States were taking place and no meetings were scheduled.
Iran had no plans to host foreign delegations or send negotiators abroad in the coming days, he said.
Baghaei added that all Iranian negotiators were in the country, except for Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was on a religious pilgrimage in Iraq. The only talks underway, he said, were discussions with Oman over management of the Strait of Hormuz.
