Washington, DC [US], March 23 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) responded to Iranian state media reports denying that Tehran was engaged in talks with Washington aimed at resolving hostilities amid the West Asia conflict, stating that he was “not sure what they are referring to” and reaffirming that the Islamic Republic “wants to make a deal badly.”
Speaking with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo shortly after announcing “constructive” discussions with Tehran, Trump clarified the status of the talks amid conflicting reports from Iranian media.
“I just spoke with President Trump, and he told me that Iran wants to make a deal badly,” Bartiromo said.
“He said that the talks have been ongoing. I said, how much longer will this conflict go on? He said five days to halt or postpone strikes on the electrical infrastructure. It could happen sooner, he said, but I have put down five days,” she added.
Bartiromo further asked Trump about Iranian state media reports claiming that no talks had occurred.
“I asked him what his reaction is to Iranian state television saying that there are no talks, and he said he’s not sure what they are referring to because the most recent talks happened, in fact, last night with Steve Wycoff and Jared Kushner and their counterparts,” she said.
“When I asked about Iranian TV saying that no talks have happened, he said it’s hard to get any information there because the US is blowing up so much of their infrastructure. So again, he wasn’t sure what Iran state TV was talking about because the most recent talks, he said, happened last night with Steve Wycoff and Jared Kushner,” Bartiromo added.
Trump’s remarks came after Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed his earlier statement that discussions were underway between Washington and Tehran following his announcement of a five-day pause in military strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, as reported by Mehr News Agency.
According to a statement quoted by Mehr News Agency, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said the US president’s remarks were an attempt to buy time for further US military operations and to influence energy markets amid soaring prices due to the conflict.
“The US president’s statements are within the framework of efforts to reduce energy prices and gain time to implement his military plans,” the ministry said.
“There are initiatives by regional countries to de-escalate tensions, and our response to all of them is clear: We are not the party that started this war, and all these requests should be referred to Washington,” it added.
Iran’s rejection of talks with Washington was also confirmed by an Iranian security official, as reported by Fars News Agency.
According to Fars News Agency, the official rejected US claims of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington amid the ongoing conflict, stating, “There’s no direct or indirect contact with the US.”
The official further said Trump retreated from his threats of striking Iran’s energy infrastructure after Tehran issued a firm warning of retaliation, adding that pressure from financial markets and bond-related concerns in the United States and the West also contributed to the decision.
The remarks came after Trump earlier announced that he had instructed the US Department of War to delay any military action against Iranian power plants and energy sites for five days, citing ongoing diplomatic engagements with Tehran amid escalating tensions in West Asia.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States and Iran had held “very good and productive conversations” over the past two days aimed at resolving hostilities in the region.
He added that the decision to pause strikes was based on the “tenor and tone” of the discussions, which he described as “in-depth, detailed, and constructive,” and said the conversations would continue through the week.
“I am pleased to report that the United States of America and the country of Iran have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” the post read.
“Based on the tenor and tone of these in-depth, detailed, and constructive conversations, which will continue throughout the week, I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” it added.
The announcement came as the war between Israel, the United States, and Iran entered its fourth week.
The move marks a shift from Trump’s earlier stance, in which he issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran to reopen the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz, warning of severe consequences if the demand was not met.
In an earlier post on Truth Social, Trump stated that if Iran does not “fully open” the Strait within 48 hours, the United States would target and “obliterate” Iranian power plants.
“If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” the post read.
Following this, Iran on Sunday issued a stringent warning to the United States, threatening to target critical energy infrastructure across the region in an “irreversible manner.”
In a post on X, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stated that any attack on Iranian power plants or infrastructure would prompt retaliatory strikes on regional energy facilities.
“Immediately after the power plants and infrastructure in our country are targeted, the critical infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and oil facilities throughout the region will be considered legitimate targets and will be destroyed in an irreversible manner, and the price of oil will remain high for a long time,” Ghalibaf said.
The escalating conflict began on February 28 with the killing of 86-year-old Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint military strikes by the United States and Israel. In retaliation, Iran targeted Israel and US assets in several Gulf countries, causing disruption in waterways and affecting international energy markets and global economic stability.
Due to the conflict in the region, Iran has virtually closed the Strait of Hormuz. (ANI)
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