Tehran Denies Any Active Negotiations With Washington After Trump Announced Talks Would Resume Monday. Omani FM Contacts Five Gulf States As Ceasefire Pressure Mounts
According to CNN, Iran flatly denied holding any negotiations with the United States on August 3, 2026, directly contradicting President Donald Trump who had announced over the weekend that talks between Washington and Tehran would resume Monday afternoon after he called off planned strikes.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran was “not currently engaging in peace talks with the US” and that Tehran “will never allow the United States to determine the timing of war and peace.” Baghaei confirmed Iran was in separate discussions with Oman; “useful negotiations regarding the management of shipping traffic” in the Strait of Hormuz, which he stressed were “unrelated to the United States.”
Oman launched a regional diplomatic push on Monday, with Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi calling counterparts in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt to discuss de-escalation efforts.
Trump fired back on Truth Social, calling Iranian leadership “unbelievably duplicitous” and warning it was Iran’s “last chance” to sign a deal. He later said he faces no time constraints because he is not seeking reelection.
Six Saudi-operated tankers have already diverted around Africa to avoid the Houthi Red Sea blockade, adding at least two weeks to their journeys.
Iran says: Oman. Trump says: deal incoming. The gap between those two positions is the entire war.
Check out our previous coverage of the US-Iran war on The Trusted Times.
