Iran Denies Plans to Negotiate With US Despite Trump Claims
Tehran says it has no intention of resuming talks with Washington, contradicting President Trump's assertion that negotiations would restart. The denial comes amid a wider US political week marked by tariff cuts with China, a White House press access dispute, and Democratic oversight plans.
Iran has said it has no plans to negotiate with the United States, directly contradicting President Donald Trump's claim that talks between the two countries would resume. The denial from Tehran came a day after Trump told Axios he expected negotiations to restart, following his rejection of an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The exchange marks a fresh setback for diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran, which have remained at loggerheads over nuclear policy, regional security and maritime access. Trump's rejection of the Strait of Hormuz proposal signalled that his administration is not prepared to accept Iran's conditions for de-escalation, while Tehran's public refusal to negotiate suggests little appetite for compromise on either side.
The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most important oil chokepoint, through which roughly a fifth of global petroleum passes. Any disruption there would have immediate consequences for energy markets and international shipping, making the proposal's rejection a significant moment in the broader standoff.
While the Iran dispute dominated the foreign policy agenda, the week also brought a series of domestic political developments in Washington. The United States and China released reciprocal lists of products worth about $30bn each that will see tariff cuts, in a deal expected to boost bilateral trade. The details emerged days after Chinese President Xi Jinping met Trump in Washington for his first state visit to the US since 2015.
Trump justified a pending US arms sale to Taiwan to Xi by downplaying it as just one of many sales Washington makes around the world, according to his ambassador to China. The ambassador said Trump even asked Xi whether China would be interested in purchasing US arms.
On the domestic front, Attorney General Todd Blanche argued that the administration was permitted to ban three news outlets from the White House because «it is a privilege and not a right to be there». Speaking on ABC News, Blanche said the decision to bar CNN, MS Now and Politico from 19 September was taken because the president was «sick and tired» of what he considered inaccurate reporting. The dispute over press credentialing and access has now entered its second week.
Meanwhile, Republican Senator Thom Tillis criticised Trump for supporting Ken Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn in the Texas Senate Republican primary. «He made a colossal mistake», Tillis said on CNN, referring to the president's backing of Paxton, who defeated Cornyn in the May primary.
In Pennsylvania, Senator John Fetterman described himself as a «lifelong Republican» during a fireside chat at the Texas Tribune Festival, an apparent slip that fuelled speculation about whether he might defect from the Democratic party. Fetterman made the comment while speaking with CBS News political correspondent Major Garrett.
The Trump administration also plans to release new fuel economy standards that would relax regulatory requirements for automakers to control pollution from gasoline-powered cars and light trucks. Trump said on Truth Social that the less stringent mileage requirements would «take the waste out of building cars in America» and save families «thousands on a new, beautiful and safe car», while boosting auto production in the US.
House Democrats are preparing a vast oversight agenda, with investigations of Trump, his family and his administration if the party sweeps control of the chamber from Republicans in the November elections. The undertaking spans several House committees and would represent a significant escalation of congressional scrutiny.
Taken together, the developments paint a picture of an administration simultaneously managing a stalled diplomatic opening with Iran, a fragile trade truce with China, and intensifying political battles at home. The Iranian denial leaves the prospect of any US-Iran talks uncertain, with neither side showing willingness to move first.
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