Iran Denies Trump's Claim of New Nuclear Talks
Tehran says it has no plans to return to the table, hours after President Trump said talks with Iran would resume next week. Iran's Revolutionary Guard, meanwhile, claims it has seized a second US underwater drone in the Strait of Hormuz.
RastinewsIran's state news agency IRNA reported there is no new round of talks scheduled between Tehran and Washington.
A source close to the Iranian delegation in New York for the United Nations General Assembly told IRNA the delegation "has no intention of negotiating with the United States."
The statement came after President Trump told Axios on Sunday that he expected talks to resume next week. A day earlier, Trump had rejected Tehran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Position relayed through Qatari mediator
IRNA said Iran's views and position were conveyed to the American side "clearly and explicitly" last Tuesday through a Qatari mediator. The Iranian delegation is expected to return to Tehran on Tuesday.
Axios, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that indirect talks between the two sides could begin as early as Monday.
That possibility emerged after indirect contacts in New York during the UN General Assembly between US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
"A second catch"
Revolutionary Guard spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi said in a statement published by IRNA early Monday that the Strait of Hormuz was not only closed but had become a hunting ground for the Revolutionary Guard's naval forces, which he said were "catching" US submarines there.
Mohebbi said the vessel seized was an autonomous unmanned underwater drone of the Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish type, fitted with sonar and precision navigation systems. "A second catch has also been seized," he said, adding that the drone was worth millions of dollars.
The Revolutionary Guard's claim has not been independently verified.
Tehran's four conditions
Tehran has said it will reopen the strait only if four conditions are met: a seven-day ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon; the release of its frozen assets; the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil; and an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran presented a plan containing these conditions last week. Trump rejected the proposal on Saturday.
Strait closed for seven months
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's key chokepoints for oil shipments, has been at the center of the US-Iran standoff that began roughly seven months ago and has since reached an impasse.
Iran has kept the strait effectively closed since then, while Washington has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
According to Asharq Al-Awsat, the United States has not carried out any strikes on Iran since September 1, despite attacks on some vessels in the strait.