US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that no talks with Iran are underway or scheduled, contradicting comments he made a day earlier about a back channel with Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
On Monday, however, Trump told Fox News that his administration had established a back channel with the IRGC, which reports to Iran’s supreme leader.
“They’re good poker players, but they’re dying. I have no time schedule. I’m not in a hurry,” Trump said.
The IRGC has denied that back-channel discussions with Washington are taking place.
Trump’s latest comments also contradict special envoy Jared Kushner, who told Fox News on Monday that communication between Washington and Tehran was particularly active.
“I will say that the conversations between the US Government and different areas of the Iranian government at all areas is probably more robust than it’s maybe ever been,” Kushner said.
Trump also repeated his claim that the Strait of Hormuz is open and that US forces have cleared naval mines from the waterway, despite shipping traffic remaining below normal levels.
