Washington: US President Donald Trump has instructed his negotiating team to suspend contact with Iran, while Tehran denied any direct dialogue with Washington. A US official confirmed that Trump expressed frustration over Iran's unwillingness to meet his demands and said he would resume contact only if Iranian leaders show a renewed willingness to reach a deal he is seeking.
The negotiating team includes Vice President JD Vance, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. The instruction came after what the official described as some "positive discussions" with Iran.
The move comes amid a deadlock in efforts to restart dialogue and growing skepticism, with Trump signaling that he is prepared to step back from the confrontation.
Trump on Tuesday posted on the social media platform Truth Social that "there are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with Iran."
His remarks came after he had repeatedly said the United States was negotiating with Iran, which was denied by Iranian officials.
A source familiar with the matter said the White House was shifting its strategy toward "strangling" Iran over time rather than carrying out further strikes.
On the Iranian side, a source close to the negotiations said no direct talks had taken place with the United States since Washington violated a bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached on June 18 on ending the conflict in the region on all fronts, including Lebanon.
The source added that Iran's talks with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz were unrelated to the United States.
The United States and Iran remain at odds over the Strait of Hormuz and the terms for ending the conflict, with the future of the talks uncertain after a 60-day negotiating period set under the MoU ended on Monday.