Trump Claims Talks With Iran Underway as Tehran Denies; US Pauses Strikes on Energy Infrastructure.

President Donald Trump dramatically announced that the United States and Iran have engaged in 'very good and productive conversations' over the past two days.

“United States President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he is pausing attacks on Iran’s power infrastructure for five days and claimed that Washington and Tehran had held “very good and productive conversations” aimed at ending their war”

Al Jazeera

In an all-caps Truth Social post, Trump claimed these 'in-depth, detailed, and constructive conversations' were aimed at achieving a 'complete and total resolution' of hostilities in the Middle East.

Al Jazeera

The president asserted that significant agreements had been reached, including Iran's commitment to放弃核武器计划，移交现有浓缩铀库存，并在导弹问题上保持低调。

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特朗普还透露他正在与伊朗政权中的'一位顶尖人物'进行接触，但他拒绝透露具体身份，只表示'我不想说出他的名字，因为我不想让他丧命'。

Iran has categorically rejected Trump's claims that formal negotiations are underway, dismissing them as market manipulation tactics designed to calm energy prices.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement claiming Trump's announcement was aimed at lowering energy prices and buying his administration more time to implement military plans.

Al-Jazeera Net

Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, went further in a series of X posts, writing: '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.'

Iranian officials have consistently maintained that they are not the party that started the war and that all de-escalation requests should be directed to Washington.

A senior security official told Iran's Tasnim news agency that Trump had 'retreated' due to military threats from Tehran and soaring energy prices, while emphasizing that while multiple mediators had sent messages to Tehran, no actual negotiations had taken place.

Behind the public claims and denials, regional mediators including Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey have been actively facilitating indirect communications between Washington and Tehran.

An Egyptian official confirmed that Washington and Tehran exchanged 'messages' over the weekend through these three countries, with the exchanges aimed at averting strikes on energy infrastructure in Iran and the wider region.

Pakistan has emerged as particularly active in these efforts, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaking directly to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian by telephone in an 'attempt to court Tehran.'

Pakistani sources indicated that Islamabad, Ankara, and Cairo are 'jointly facilitating the effort' to persuade Iran to engage in negotiations, with 'efforts underway through back-channel diplomacy.'

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has also been extensively involved, holding separate calls with his counterparts from Pakistan, Norway, and Egypt as part of the diplomatic engagement aimed at preventing full-scale escalation in the region.

The conflicting narratives have created significant confusion about whether actual diplomatic negotiations are occurring or if this represents merely tactical messaging.

While Trump claims 'very good and productive conversations' are underway and has outlined specific points of agreement, Iranian officials consistently deny any formal talks are taking place.

AP News

Multiple media reports suggest US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner may have been in contact with Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, but Ghalibaf himself has vehemently denied these reports.

The confusion extends to international allies, with Israel reportedly being 'surprised by Trump's comments on Monday' and unaware that 'things were moving that fast,' according to sources familiar with the discussions.

This disconnect between public statements and private communications has left observers questioning whether this represents genuine diplomatic progress or merely a tactical pause in military action designed to address market concerns.

Financial markets have reacted positively to Trump's announcement, with oil prices falling significantly and stock markets rebounding from earlier losses.

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Axios

West Texas Intermediate crude fell toward $85 per barrel after previously climbing above $100 amid supply fears tied to the Strait of Hormuz disruptions, while the FTSE 100 index was up 0.5% after having fallen more than 2% earlier.

Bitcoin News

Gas prices also eased from 159p a therm to about 139p, and the yield on 10-year UK government bonds fell from 5.121% to 4.89%.

The cryptocurrency market also responded positively, with Bitcoin climbing back above $70,000 and posting gains exceeding 4%, along with Ethereum, solana and XRP.

However, market participants remain cautious, with sentiment indicators suggesting traders are not fully convinced the tension has passed, and the five-day window leaves room for renewed volatility if talks falter.