A senior Iranian official identified in media reports as a potential backchannel to President Donald Trump has publicly denied any involvement in negotiations with the United States.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, rejected the reports after The Jerusalem Post described him as the “top person” Trump had suggested his administration was engaging with behind the scenes.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf dismissed the claim and accused the U.S. of spreading misinformation.
“Iranian people demand complete and remorseful punishment of the aggressors. All Iranian officials stand firmly behind their supreme leader and people until this goal is achieved. No negotiations have been held with the US, and fakenews is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped.”
The denial comes amid conflicting signals from Washington about the state of diplomacy. Just hours earlier, Trump said his administration had engaged in “very good and productive conversations” with Iran and announced a five-day pause on planned military strikes targeting Iranian energy infrastructure.
Read Trump’s Truth Social message:
“I AM PLEASE TO REPORT THAT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE COUNTRY OF IRAN, HAVE HAD, OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS, VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING A COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF OUR HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST,” Trump wrote. “BASED ON THE TENOR AND TONE OF THESE IN DEPTH, DETAILED, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS, WITCH WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR TO POSTPONE ANY AND ALL MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRANIAN POWER PLANTS AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A FIVE DAY PERIOD, SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS.”
The pause marked a sharp shift in tone after Trump had warned over the weekend that Iran could face “total decimation” if it failed to comply with U.S. demands regarding the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route.
Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Trump hinted at the existence of a high-level Iranian contact but declined to identify the individual.
“A top person,” Trump said, offering no further details.
When asked whether Iran’s newly named supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was involved, Trump said the U.S. had not heard from him. Khamenei has not appeared publicly since his appointment and is widely believed to be gravely injured.
“Don’t forget: We’ve wiped out the leadership phase one, phase two and largely phase three. But we’re dealing with a man who I believe is the most respected and the leader, you know it’s a little tough, they’ve wiped out — we’ve wiped out everybody,” Trump added.
Trump’s claims of active discussions followed his announcement that strikes would be temporarily halted to allow negotiations to continue. However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry has also denied that any talks are taking place, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding the diplomatic track even as tensions remain high following U.S. threats tied to the Strait of Hormuz.
