President Trump on Tuesday insisted that talks with Iran have been continuous, despite recent turmoil in the Middle East and a flare-up over Israel’s actions in Lebanon.
Mr. Trump, writing on social media, said reports that the U.S. and Iran had stopped speaking are “false and erroneous.”
“The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today,” he said.
His message seemed targeted at semiofficial news outlets in Iran, specifically Fars and Tasnim, which reported that mediators from Tehran stopped talking to the U.S. side.
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The U.S. and Iran are trying to finalize a memorandum of understanding that would lift the American blockade of Iranian ports, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and set the table for final talks over Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
The two sides have exchanged fire in recent days.
Iran threatened to quit the negotiations over Israel’s bombardment this week of Tehran-backed Hezbollah terrorists near Beirut, though Mr. Trump said he reined in Israel and Hezbollah to keep things on track.
Negotiations with Iran have been rocky, and the president said the outcome is unclear.
“Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, ‘It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You’ve been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!’” Mr. Trump said in his Truth Social post.
The U.S. and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28 to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon. Iran retaliated by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, an oil chokepoint, resulting in economic upheaval around the world.
Both sides have largely held to a ceasefire since early April, making the conflict a test of economic will.
Mr. Trump says he won’t be rushed into a bad deal, though Democrats and other critics say he needs to hurry up and resolve the war to bring down gas prices and stabilize global economies.
