WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Monday that US-Iran talks could produce a deal, but warned American strikes would resume if negotiations failed.
Trump made the comments three days after Washington suspended nearly two weeks of airstrikes on Iran. “We’re having good talks,” he told reporters while travelling to Michigan, according to an official White House video.
Trump said the United States would return to military action if diplomacy failed to produce an agreement. He repeated the warning during a campaign rally in Michigan later Monday.
Iran disputed Trump’s description of the diplomatic contact. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said mediators continued to exchange messages between the two countries, but rejected reports that Tehran had requested direct negotiations.
President Trump said Monday the US and Iran were engaged in diplomatic talks to end the Middle East conflict, but warned the two sides would return to fighting if negotiations didn’t yield a deal https://t.co/mz1Hx3v3eR pic.twitter.com/Hls8lo9z62
— Bloomberg (@business) July 27, 2026Baghaei called those reports “fabricated” and said Iran had not abandoned diplomacy. A senior Iranian official previously told Reuters that Tehran would halt its attacks while Trump’s pause remained in effect.
Pakistan and Qatar were facilitating indirect talks aimed at restoring a ceasefire, while Oman was addressing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the Associated Press reported.
Regional attacks continued despite the pause. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted drones targeting petroleum facilities and accused Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq of launching them.
Read: Iran-US Negotiations Denied as Hormuz Talks Continue
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis separately claimed an attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline. Jordan and Iraq also reported drone incidents on Monday.
Iran’s military accused the United States of threatening vessels and oil tankers in Iranian waters. Tehran also maintained that it controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global energy supplies.
