Iran Denies Deal as Trump Announces Fresh Talks
President Trump said a fresh round of negotiations with Iran would begin on Monday, days after he called off a threatened strike, but Tehran again denied it was in any direct talks with Washington or had agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s foreign ministry said the strait “will remain unchanged” — that is, closed — and dismissed reports of a deal as inaccurate. Even so, the easing of the immediate threat of war sent oil prices tumbling.
Brent crude fell more than 5 per cent to around $83 a barrel as markets bet that the danger of an attack on Iran’s oil sites had passed, at least for now, unwinding the war premium that had driven crude towards $90. Yet the diplomacy remained murky: Washington spoke of a sixty-day plan to reopen Hormuz without transit fees, while Tehran denied any such agreement and insisted its separate, Oman-mediated talks were a different matter. Saudi Arabia’s crown prince had pressed Mr Trump to choose dialogue. With no ceasefire confirmed and the strait still shut, the calm could prove fragile. Watch whether talks actually begin and whether Hormuz reopens.