President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the United States and Iran have held “very good and productive conversations” over the past two days. However, Tehran has denied that any such talks have occurred. Thus, creating a stark contradiction between the two sides amid the ongoing war.
Donald Trump talks about ‘very good’ talks with Iran
Donald Trump told reporters that his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and close aide, Jared Kushner, had conducted “very, very strong talks” with Iranian officials a day earlier. He said the discussions yielded “major points of agreement, I would say, almost all points of agreement” (via The Guardian).
“We’re giving it five days, and then we’re going to see where that takes us,” Trump said. He added that he believed the period could end with “a very good deal for everybody.” The announcement came after Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he had extended the Iran deadline by five days. Essentially, instructing the “Department of War” to postpone military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure. His threat over the weekend to “hit and obliterate” Iran’s energy infrastructure had raised fears of an extended war and global economic crisis.
Tehran, however, rejected Trump’s account entirely. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said no talks had been held with the US since the bombing campaign began 24 days ago. The Fars news agency, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, denied any direct or indirect communications. Further, calling Trump’s words “psychological operations” that were “worn out” and having no impact on Tehran’s fight.
The conflicting accounts have drawn attention to unusual trading activity that happened minutes before Trump’s public statements. According to a Financial Times report, traders placed bets worth approximately $580 million in Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude futures between 6:49 a.m. and 6:50 a.m. New York time. It is roughly 15 minutes before Trump’s announcement. The trades positioned for falling oil prices and rising equities aligned precisely with the market reaction to Trump’s claims of diplomatic progress.
As of now, it’s a sequential event and has not been confirmed by any official source.
