Iran blasts US over ‘fake news’ talks as Trump insists his private envoys had ‘perfect’ negotiations with a mystery party

President Trump is claiming that his private envoys had “perfect” negotiations with a mystery party in Iran over the weekend, though Tehran is sharply denying any such talks ever took place, as reported by The Hill. This news comes as early signs emerged that the Trump administration might be looking to wind down the conflict with Iran, especially with pressure from the Strait of Hormuz closure tightening its grip on the global economy.

The president told reporters during a trip to Memphis that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in touch with Iranian counterparts. He wouldn’t say who they were speaking with, insisting he didn’t want them to be killed, but did confirm they weren’t speaking to the new supreme leader. “We’ve had very strong talks,” the president told reporters. “They went, I would say, perfectly. I would say if they carry through with that it’ll end that problem, that conflict.”

However, the tune out of Tehran was completely different. After reports surfaced that U.S. officials were in contact with Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, he quickly denied any such talks. “No negotiations have been held with the US, and fakenews is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped,” Ghalibaf stated on X.

This is a pretty strong denial, basically calling the whole thing a sham to mess with the markets.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country launched joint strikes with the U.S. last month, mentioned that President Trump “believes there is an opportunity” to reach an agreement with Iran. Netanyahu was pretty vague about what such a deal might actually look like, but that wording marks a definite shift in rhetoric around the war. This conflict is proving to be quite unpopular for President Trump both within the U.S. and among his own MAGA base.

A regional source indicated that messages have indeed been delivered between the U.S. and Iran through intermediaries, but they couldn’t confirm if there have been any direct talks. This whole situation is a bit murky, with so many conflicting reports flying around.

One former Trump administration official noted that President Trump is under a huge amount of political pressure domestically. It would be a “huge loss” to end the war with the Strait of Hormuz still largely closed off to oil tankers. “I think left to his own devices he’d leave, but he can’t leave,” the former official stated. “He cannot leave with the straits closed.”

President Trump has struggled to form a coalition of traditional U.S. allies to help police the Strait of Hormuz, which has led to him publicly criticizing NATO member countries and other allies.