Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, said Monday that talks with Iran were better than ever, though he acknowledged that the sides had yet to reach understandings.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied any talks with US officials after President Donald Trump said his administration had established a direct backchannel with the force, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, citing spokesperson Hossein Mohebi. “There are no talks underway between IRGC officials and the Americans,” Mohebi said.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei denied media reports of unofficial contact between Washington and the IRGC via Iraqi Kurdistan officials and an alleged secret US-Iran meeting in Erbil.
President Trump has reiterated the “number one goal” is to ensure that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon “in any way, shape, or form.” He also warned Oman against obstructing efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying the US might attack Oman if it interferes. Oman has been holding its own talks with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
