Trump refused to name his Iranian contact for days, but the official he finally confirmed is already publicly denying any talks are happening

President Donald Trump finally confirmed that the United States is negotiating with Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament. This came after days of speculation following Trump’s post on Truth Social last week, claiming “VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS” were taking place between the two countries. However, Ghalibaf has already publicly denied that any talks are happening.

When reporters asked Trump to name his negotiating partner, he refused. He only said he was talking to “A top person,” adding, “Don’t forget, we wiped out the leadership, phase one, and phase two and largely phase three. But we’re dealing with a man who I believe is the most respected and the leader. It is a little tough. We’ve wiped out everybody.” The New York Post, however, now confirms that Trump says its Ghalibaf.

The Iranian parliament speaker quickly denied the reports on X, stating, “No negotiations have been held with the US, and fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped.” He also warned, “If they hit one, they’ll take several back.”

Iran’s leadership has been largely wiped out, leaving a deeply unstable power structure behind

Trump described a major shake-up within Iran’s leadership, claiming the “old guard” has been replaced by a new group. “There has been total regime change because the regimes of the past are gone and we’re dealing with a whole new set of people,” Trump said. “And thus far, they’ve been much more reasonable.” When asked if these were truly new figures, Trump said, “Pretty much. The other people are all dead.”

Trump also pointed to uncertainty surrounding Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who hasn’t been seen publicly since the US and Israel began their attacks on February 28. “Nobody’s heard from him,” Trump said, adding that he believes Mojtaba is “very seriously injured.” When asked if he is still alive, Trump said, “We don’t know. We think probably yes, but in extraordinarily bad shape.”

Several major figures in Iran’s leadership have reportedly died under the US-Israeli bombing campaign, including the ayatollah, the defense minister, the top security official, and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The US has reportedly bombed 13,000 targets in Iran since February 28.

Trump told the Financial Times there are still around 3,000 more targets to hit. Trump has been making bold moves on multiple fronts, including record funding approved for deportation operations that have already cost US cities hundreds of millions.

Trump warned Tehran that the US would destroy Iran’s power plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island if negotiations failed. Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has rattled global markets, pushing oil prices to $115 per barrel and the average US gas price to $3.99 per gallon, the highest since 2022, according to AAA.

The war has now reached its 30-day mark, within Trump’s original four-to-six week deadline. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the timeline still stands, saying, “We’re on day 30 today.

So again, you do the math on how much longer we the Pentagon needs to fully achieve the objectives.”Trump also recently made several eyebrow-raising comments to a room of investors that drew wide attention. He is also reportedly considering sending US soldiers into Iran to extract nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium stored in Isfahan, possibly 330 feet below a mountain base.