US President Donald Trump has described upcoming negotiations with Iran as the country’s “last chance” to reach an agreement and avoid further US military action.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump said he expected talks with Tehran to begin within the next day or two, focusing first on reopening the Strait of Hormuz before addressing concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme.
“The first phase is the opening of the straits. The second phase will be denuclearisation, and that will take a little while,” Trump said.
He warned that his patience with Iran was running out, adding, “This is the last chance for them to sign a good document.”
However, Iran denied that direct negotiations with Washington were taking place.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran was currently discussing only a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman, aimed at allowing commercial vessels to resume operations.
“We are not currently negotiating with the United States,” Baghaei told reporters, rejecting Trump’s claim that broader talks could begin as early as Monday.
Trump also claimed he had cancelled what he described as the largest planned US military strike since World War II after receiving a phone call from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who urged diplomacy. According to Trump, the decision to hold back military action was conditional on Iran reaching an agreement quickly.
In a social media post later on Monday, Trump accused Iran’s leadership of being “unbelievably duplicitous”, claiming Tehran privately requested negotiations while publicly denying any talks with Washington.
He also insisted the US Navy already controlled the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran’s repeated assertions of sovereignty over the strategic waterway.
Meanwhile, negotiations between Iran and Oman continue over a temporary maritime corridor through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran is reportedly seeking greater control over future shipping routes and has proposed the creation of a joint Omani-Iranian company to provide maritime services at lower costs than international insurers.
Iranian officials said the proposed route would serve as an interim solution while discussions continue on a permanent navigation arrangement.
Baghaei stressed that agreeing on a shipping corridor alone would not resolve wider tensions, pointing to ongoing US naval restrictions on Iranian ports.
The latest diplomatic efforts come after renewed fighting between the United States and Iran, with tensions spilling into the Red Sea and Iraq despite a memorandum of understanding signed by both sides on June 18.
While some senior Iranian clerics have warned against trusting the United States, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed hope that the memorandum of understanding could become the foundation of Iran’s future foreign relations.
Saudi Arabia has also stepped up its regional involvement in recent weeks, launching operations against Iran-backed groups in Iraq while increasing pressure on the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen, reflecting growing concerns that a wider US-Iran conflict could destabilise the Middle East.
