Iran has dismissed claims by United States President Donald Trump that fresh negotiations between both countries are underway, insisting that no discussions are currently taking place with Washington despite the President’s announcement of renewed diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing conflict.

The clarification came from Iran’s Foreign Ministry after Trump revealed that he had postponed new military strikes against the Islamic Republic to create room for diplomacy, a pattern that has repeatedly emerged throughout the conflict.

The United States and Iran have remained at war since February 28, when the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran. While intermittent diplomatic engagements have occasionally eased tensions, the conflict has continued into its sixth month.

Last week, Trump warned that Iran could face severe military action, with reports indicating that Washington was considering renewed attacks, including strikes targeting energy infrastructure.

However, the US President softened his position over the weekend, saying the conditions for a possible agreement had begun to emerge.

Despite Trump’s announcement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry rejected the suggestion that negotiations with Washington had resumed.

“We are not currently negotiating with the United States. Our negotiations are with Oman to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said during a weekly press briefing.

Strait of Hormuz Remains Central Issue

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the biggest obstacles to ending the conflict. Iran has tightened control over the strategic shipping lane and has reportedly targeted commercial vessels attempting to pass through it.

Before the outbreak of hostilities, international shipping moved freely through the waterway. However, Iran now insists on maintaining control of the route and collecting transit fees, a position strongly opposed by the United States.

Tehran has also refused to permit ships to use any alternative route except one that closely follows the Iranian coastline.

Speaking on Sunday, Baqaei disclosed that Iran was close to reaching an agreement with Oman, which shares the strategic waterway, on a mutually acceptable shipping route.

“We are now going to reach an understanding on a route acceptable to both sides neither the northern route nor the southern route — but one that respects the sovereign rights of both sides and safeguards our national interests and security,” he said.

He stressed, however, that such an agreement should not be interpreted as a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump Announces Planned Talks

Meanwhile, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that new negotiations with Iran would begin on Monday, focusing on the Strait of Hormuz and eventually addressing Iran’s nuclear programme.

“Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon,” Trump said, although he did not reveal where the talks would take place or who would participate.

The US President also claimed that Iran, alongside Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, had urged him to delay further military action, describing the cancelled operation as one that would have been “the biggest attack since World War II.”

Iranian state media rejected Trump’s assertion, insisting that Tehran never requested him to halt planned strikes.

Trump has repeatedly maintained that a peace agreement is within reach, although previous ceasefire efforts have collapsed, allowing hostilities to resume.

One such agreement reached last month included plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping, but the arrangement eventually failed.

Iran Says Dialogue Continues Through Mediators

Iranian lawmaker Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesperson for the parliament’s National Security Commission, said mediators are still working to revive the memorandum of understanding reached between Iran and the United States in June.

Although the memorandum was never intended to serve as a final peace agreement, it was designed to lay the groundwork for broader negotiations, including arrangements concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

“They know that the main issue and, in fact, the key to the matter right now is the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, so yes, there is an exchange of views,” Ghashghavi said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also reiterated Tehran’s position in a post on X.

“We must strive to compel the enemy to remain committed to what it has signed.”

Meanwhile, maritime security concerns remain high after a tanker sailing near the coast of Oman reported hearing an explosion close to the vessel on Sunday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre confirmed that both the ship and its crew remained safe.

The death toll from last week’s mass migrant surge into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta has risen to at least 72, after five more bodies were recovered along Morocco’s coast on Sunday, a figure significantly higher than what Moroccan authorities have reported.

More than 50,000 people crossed into Ceuta by land and sea starting Thursday, in an unprecedented rush at one of the EU’s only two land borders with Africa. Spanish authorities said over 48,000 returned to Morocco within 48 hours, with more following over the weekend. Spain’s government representative in Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez, said more than 1,000 people received medical treatment, adding that conditions in the enclave have improved but full normality hasn’t yet returned.

Many migrants drowned or were crushed attempting to scale a breakwater and border fence, driven largely by economic hardship and rumours circulating on social media. Morocco’s Interior Ministry, however, put its own death toll at just 11 mostly drownings and said it was still verifying reports of additional deaths on the Spanish side. Rabat blamed the surge on online misinformation, trafficking networks, and confusion over a Spanish court ruling barring immediate returns of migrants intercepted at sea, echoing similar comments from Spain’s Foreign Ministry. Moroccan officials also estimated only 40,000 people were involved in the crossing far below Spain’s count and said 1,135 additional people were stopped attempting to enter Melilla, Spain’s other North African enclave.

Ceuta’s leader, Juan Jesus Vivas, told El Pais the local morgue has received 88 bodies in total, including victims from smaller, earlier crossing attempts made during hazardous night swims over the past two weeks. He said Moroccan authorities are also pulling bodies from the sea, though no official figures have been shared from that side.

One Ceuta resident, Karima Abenaz, a French national with family in Morocco, said it was heartbreaking to see young people and mothers with infants dying at sea over lack of opportunity, insisting people should demand change from their government rather than risk their lives crossing.

In response, Spain has reinforced police and military patrols and installed a 500-metre floating barrier off the coast. Twenty-two EU member states have jointly called for coordinated border protection measures, and Italy has suspended passport-free Schengen travel with Spain for one month. Spain, which has taken a more open migration stance than most EU peers including a program granting residency to over half a million undocumented people has rejected claims that the policy encouraged the Ceuta rush, noting that those who entered irregularly cannot travel onward into mainland Spain or the rest of the Schengen area.

US President Donald Trump has announced that a new round of negotiations with Iran will begin on Monday after deciding against launching fresh military strikes, opting instead to pursue a diplomatic solution to end the ongoing conflict, now in its sixth month.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said the discussions would focus on the Strait of Hormuz—a critical global energy corridor that has become a major point of contention in the conflict—as well as Iran’s nuclear programme.

Meanwhile, Iran revealed that it is close to reaching an agreement with Oman on a new maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement came as reports emerged of an explosion near a tanker in the strategic waterway, highlighting the continued security risks in the region.

Following Trump’s remarks, global oil prices declined sharply during the opening of Asian trading on Monday. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell by 4.7 per cent to $80.72 per barrel.

The conflict between Washington and Tehran began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran. Although diplomatic efforts have produced temporary periods of calm, renewed military exchanges in recent weeks have raised fears of further escalation.

Trump had earlier warned that Iran could face severe military action and was reportedly considering strikes on strategic facilities, including energy infrastructure. However, he announced on Saturday that he had decided to suspend those plans, saying the framework for a diplomatic agreement was beginning to take shape.

“Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon,” Trump said while speaking aboard Air Force One, although he did not disclose the location of the talks or those expected to participate.

The US president also claimed that Iran, along with regional allies Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, urged him to avoid military action, which he described as potentially “the biggest attack since World War II.”

Iranian state media, however, denied that Tehran had requested the United States to refrain from launching strikes.

A previous ceasefire arrangement that included reopening the Strait of Hormuz eventually collapsed, with Iran tightening its control over the waterway afterward.

Trump has consistently maintained that the conflict is aimed at addressing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. While Western governments accuse Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons, Iran insists its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful civilian purposes.

Iran Signals Readiness for Further Negotiations

Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesperson for Iran’s parliamentary national security commission, disclosed on Sunday that mediators are working to revive the memorandum of understanding reached between the United States and Iran in June.

Although the agreement was not intended as a permanent peace settlement, it served as a foundation for broader negotiations and included provisions concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

“They know that the main issue and, in fact, the key to the matter right now is the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, so yes, there is an exchange of views,” Ghashghavi said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also stressed the need to ensure all parties honour their commitments.

“We must strive to compel the enemy to remain committed to what it has signed.”

Oman Route Proposal Near Completion

Before the conflict, commercial vessels enjoyed unrestricted access through the Strait of Hormuz. However, Iran later imposed restrictions and insisted that ships use routes under its control while charging transit fees—an arrangement rejected by the United States.

The disagreement over shipping access contributed to renewed military tensions after Tehran refused to permit vessels to use routes outside those bordering its coastline.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, said discussions with Oman have progressed significantly toward establishing an alternative route through the strait.

“We are now going to reach an understanding on a route acceptable to both sides — neither the northern route nor the southern route — but one that respects the sovereign rights of both sides and safeguards our national interests and security,” he said.

Despite the progress, Baqaei clarified that the proposed arrangement does not amount to a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Maritime intelligence firm Kpler recently reported a sharp decline in shipping traffic through the vital waterway.

Adding to concerns, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre confirmed that a tanker sailing off Oman’s coast reported hearing an explosion nearby on Sunday. The vessel and its crew were reported safe.

Source: AFP