U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that no talks with Iran are taking place or planned, a day after his administration established a back channel of communication with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a military unit that reports to the country’s supreme leader, UNN reports, citing CNN.
"There are no negotiations or conversations with the Islamic Republic of Iran that are taking place or planned. The naval blockade remains in full force. The Strait of Hormuz is open and operating. All naval mines have been removed or detonated," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump published a map with the Strait of Hormuz marked as a "new U.S. territory"18.08.26, 16:04
Just a day earlier, Trump said that his administration had established a back channel of communication with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), telling Fox News that "they play poker very well, but they are dying," Trump said. "I have no timetable. I’m in no hurry."
Iran’s IRGC denied that any back-channel talks with the United States were taking place.
Trump’s comments on Tuesday also sharply diverged from the assessment that special envoy Jared Kushner gave Fox News on Monday.
The US has "not yet reached an understanding" with Iran - Kushner17.08.26, 22:52
"I will say that negotiations between the U.S. government and various parts of the Iranian government in all areas are probably more active than ever," he said, adding that the Trump administration is "engaged in very positive and active negotiations."
Last week, the president said that U.S. forces had completed operations to clear the waterway of naval mines, a claim he repeated on Tuesday. He has also repeatedly asserted that the strait is open, despite delays in shipping and Iran’s contrary claims.