Trump Claims US-Iran Talks Ongoing Despite Tehran's Denial

President Donald Trump on Monday insisted talks between the U.S. and Iran are ongoing after Tehran undermined him by saying it had no plans for direct negotiations with Washington.

Trump, in an angry Truth Social post, called the Islamic republic's leaders "unbelievably duplicitous" and accused them of lying about peace talks that are underway "whether Iran wants to admit it or not."

He also once again asserted the U.S. is in full control of the Strait of Hormuz, even though ship traffic through the economically vital waterway remains stuck at a fraction of its prewar averages.

"Nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to, and nothing will get through, unless a Deal, or Total Surrender, is accomplished," Trump claimed in the post.

Earlier Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said at a news conference that there is no immediate plan for negotiations with the U.S. — undercutting Trump, who had said hours earlier that talks would restart Monday afternoon.

Tehran is currently only engaged in talks with Oman regarding the strait, Baghaei said.

The disparate messages from the two sides added to confusion about the status of peace talks and of the war itself, which is entering its sixth month.

Trump's claim about new negotiations came a day after he said on Truth Social that he had agreed to cancel a massive strike against Iran "subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL."

He said in the same post that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked him to hold off on that attack because "the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to."

Trump has claimed dozens of times throughout the more-than-five-month-long war that a deal is at hand. No permanent deal has been signed, and a temporary ceasefire reached in June has fallen apart.

Trump has also repeatedly threatened to launch devastating strikes against Iran before backing off. After the latest example, oil prices on Monday fell and stocks surged.

BMI, a research unit of Fitch Solutions, said in a note Monday that a broader diplomatic understanding on reopening the Strait of Hormuz is still achievable this quarter, while raising the probability of its escalation scenario to 35% from 25%, citing mounting military, diplomatic and economic signs of rising U.S.-Iran tensions.

"Diplomatic progress is likely to be punctuated by periodic military flare-ups, while miscalculation by either side could trigger a renewed escalation," BMI analysts wrote in a note. The firm said the key issue to watch is the future governance of the strait, as the Iran-Oman talks — potentially backed by Gulf states, China and the U.S. — point to efforts to build a post-conflict shipping framework.

Shipping risks persist even as diplomacy appears to be advancing. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said it received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles (23 miles) northeast of Khasab, Oman — at the mouth of the strait — with a tanker's master reporting an explosion in close proximity to the vessel at about 20:37 UTC Sunday (4:37 pm ET). The vessel and crew were safe and authorities are investigating, UKMTO said, advising ships to transit with caution.

The proposal Trump announced over the weekend calls for the U.S. and Iran to return to negotiations and continue ironing out some of the thorny issues that had derailed diplomatic efforts, according to The Associated Press, citing a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.

The official said the proposal also includes a reopening of the Hormuz Strait and halting attacks across the region, including by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on the Arab Gulf countries and Jordan.

The U.S., for its part, will end its naval blockade on Iran and allow Tehran to export its oil, the official said, adding that no deal has been reached, although the mediation efforts remained underway.