President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States is "very intent on making a deal with Iran," emphasizing renewed diplomacy as he ordered a five-day pause on planned military strikes targeting Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.
Speaking with reporters on the tarmac at Palm Beach International Airport, Trump said Iran is looking "to make a deal" and claimed U.S. envoys have been in discussions with a "respected" Iranian leader.
"Iran called. We didn't call," Trump said. "My life is deals."
He said his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, held talks Sunday that stretched into the evening, with discussions expected to continue Monday.
"They do have some leaders left. ... But we think we have people that are very representative of the country and will do a good job in running it," Trump said, adding that the U.S. has not spoken with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
In a Monday morning Truth Social post, Trump said the U.S. and Iran had "VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING A COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF OUR HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST."
He reiterated the push for a deal in a phone call with CNBC's Joe Kernen: "We are very intent on making a deal with Iran."
Iranian state media, however, disputed Trump's account. Citing an unnamed "senior security official" in a Telegram post, Iranian media said no direct or indirect talks had taken place between Washington and Tehran.
"There has been no negotiation and there is no negotiation, and with this kind of psychological warfare, neither the Strait of Hormuz will return to its pre-war conditions, nor will there be peace in the energy markets," state media reported the official as saying.
Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo said Trump told her that Kushner and Witkoff participated in the talks and that "Iran wants to make a deal badly."
"When I asked about the Iranian TV saying that no talks have happened, he said, 'It's hard to get any information there, because of, the U.S. is blowing up so much of their infrastructure,'" Bartiromo said on air.
On Saturday, Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on Iranian power plants. The vital waterway carries about 20% of the world's oil and gas supplies.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that key infrastructure and energy facilities in the Persian Gulf region could be "irreversibly destroyed" if Iranian power plants are attacked.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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