Trump denies offering Iran sanctions relief, Tehran says ready for talks

Trump rejects claims of Iran sanctions relief as nuclear diplomacy resumes

Bdbusinessdaily.com – US President Donald Trump has denied that Washington offered Iran sanctions relief or access to frozen funds in return for nuclear concessions, as renewed diplomatic contacts seek to halt a war that has disrupted energy supplies and widened instability across the Middle East.

In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump dismissed suggestions that his administration had proposed incentives for Tehran to make measurable moves on its nuclear programme.

“This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING,” Trump wrote.

The denial followed accounts citing US officials who said Trump was prepared to consider easing sanctions and releasing Iranian assets if Tehran demonstrated specific progress on the nuclear issue as part of a final agreement.

Nuclear programme remains central to dispute

Trump has presented preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb as a principal objective of the conflict. He has also linked the war to Iran’s regional military reach and to creating circumstances in which Iranians could remove their current leadership.

Iran maintains that it does not possess nuclear weapons and has no intention of building them. Tehran argues, however, that it is entitled to maintain a domestic nuclear-energy programme.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country remained open to talks covering its nuclear activities and other issues, while making clear that negotiations could not proceed under pressure.

“Iran is not seeking war, but will defend itself against pressure, threats and attacks,” Pezeshkian said.

He added that Iran had already accepted the principle that it should not develop nuclear weapons, but stressed that Tehran would not yield to what he described as bullying or coercion.

The differing public positions illustrate the difficult path facing mediators. Washington has focused on concrete nuclear-related commitments, while Iran has emphasized sovereign rights, security concerns and the need for a negotiated settlement that does not appear imposed by force.

Mediators work to revive negotiations

US and Iranian officials held separate discussions with mediators on Monday in a fresh attempt to end the seven-month conflict. Iran had said a day earlier that diplomacy was the only viable route out of its confrontation with the United States and Israel.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran’s terms were already known and tied any move to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to the fulfilment of those conditions.

“Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock,” Araqchi wrote on social media.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important shipping passage for global oil supplies. Its status has become one of the main issues in the push for a settlement, as prolonged disruption affects fuel markets far beyond the region.

Araqchi told reporters at the United Nations on Friday that the proposed arrangement would begin a seven-day process for reopening the strait and include a halt in regional fighting. Trump rejected that proposal on Saturday, arguing that Iran’s interest in an immediate reopening reflected the pressure it was facing.

“They want to make a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” Trump said at the White House.

Araqchi said Tehran had not yet received an official message through mediators confirming that Washington had rejected the proposal.

“We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views to us, and we will make a decision based on them,” Araqchi said.

The exchange leaves diplomacy in an uncertain position: both sides are engaging through intermediaries, but their public statements show little agreement over what an acceptable deal would require or how quickly it could take effect.

Regional conflict pushes oil prices higher

The war began in February when Trump and Israel launched what was called Operation Epic Fury. Thousands of people have been killed, while the fighting has severely affected energy flows and added to global inflation concerns.

Iran and aligned groups have extended the confrontation across the region. Iran has used drones and missiles against US allies in the Gulf, while the Houthi movement in Yemen has targeted Saudi interests.

Saudi Arabia has become more deeply involved this month as Houthi fighters advanced in Yemen, defeated forces aligned with the Saudi-backed government and raised concerns about Saudi oil exports moving through the Red Sea.

For consumers and businesses, the conflict’s effect is most visible in energy prices. Higher crude costs can feed into transport, manufacturing and household expenses, particularly when supply disruptions persist or shipping routes become less predictable.

Oil prices rose for a second straight session on Tuesday as concerns about Middle Eastern supply outweighed signs that crude exports from the region were recovering. By 0326 GMT, Brent crude futures were up $1.49, or 1.4%, at $106.77 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude gained $1.34, or 1.5%, to $93.94 a barrel.

Both benchmarks had already closed nearly $1 a barrel higher in the prior session. The market reaction underscores how developments around the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and wider regional military activity remain closely tied to global economic pressures.

Whether the latest mediator-led contacts can produce a workable agreement will depend on resolving the gap between US demands for nuclear assurances and Iran’s insistence on terms it considers free from coercion. Until then, the conflict’s political and economic consequences are likely to remain closely connected.