Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dismissed U.S. claims of ongoing negotiations with Tehran as "fake news," accusing Washington of attempting to manipulate global oil markets. In a statement posted on X, Qalibaf denied any discussions with the United States, asserting that such claims were part of a strategy to "escape the quagmire in which the U.S. and Israel are trapped." He emphasized that Iranian officials remained resolute in their support for the country’s supreme leader and vowed to pursue "complete and remorseful punishment of the aggressors." The remarks came in response to remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had previously claimed that Washington and Tehran had engaged in "very good and productive conversations" aimed at resolving hostilities in the Middle East. Trump stated that he had instructed the Department of Defense to delay military strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure for five days, contingent on the success of ongoing talks. He described the discussions as "very strong," involving his adviser Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and suggested that Iran might be willing to abandon its nuclear ambitions in exchange for peace. Iranian state media and officials swiftly rejected Trump’s assertions, framing the U.S. pause in strikes as a tactic to "lower energy prices and buy time for the implementation of military plans." Fars and Tasnim news agencies criticized the claims as psychological warfare, arguing that Tehran would continue its defense efforts until "the required level of deterrence is achieved." They also dismissed the notion of negotiations, stating that Iran’s stance had remained consistent since the conflict began.#tasnim_news_agency #iranian_state_media #iranian_parliament_speaker #mohammad_bagher_qalibaf #fars_news_agency
