Iran’s top security official has said there are currently no negotiations taking place between Tehran and Washington, rejecting American claims that talks are continuing through Qatari mediators. Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, made the remarks in an interview with Al-Mayadeen, a broadcaster close to Tehran’s allies, on Tuesday.
General Rezaei said the Americans were fabricating claims about continuing negotiations or a meeting in Qatar, describing them as “pure lies” aimed at easing economic pressure and lowering global oil prices. “I emphasize that at the present moment, we are not conducting any negotiations with the Americans, and there are no negotiations between us and Washington,” he said.
He said Iran had set out seven conditions in a June interim agreement and had asked the United States for a “clear and explicit” response, but had not yet received one. Until those conditions are fully met, he said, the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened. The strait carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil under normal conditions and has been largely closed to commercial shipping since Iran declared it shut in late October.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, also dismissed reports that General Rezaei could meet US Vice President JD Vance, calling them “baseless speculations”. “These speculations and media reports are entirely baseless, and there are no plans to hold such a meeting,” he told the state news agency IRNA on Tuesday.
The Iranian statements came a day after President Donald Trump met Qatar’s prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Washington. Mr Trump said on Monday that the war on Iran was “effectively over” and that a resumption of American strikes was unlikely, although he warned that US forces remained ready to act if needed. The Qatari prime minister had expressed optimism about discussions aimed at restoring regional peace.
Iran has put forward a two-day proposal, conveyed through Qatari mediators, that calls for reopening the strait to commercial shipping within 48 hours of Washington meeting Tehran’s conditions. For now, though, the two sides are describing the situation very differently. Pakistan’s military said last week it was “cautiously optimistic” about mediation efforts, after its army chief visited Tehran twice this month alongside Saudi and Turkish officials.
