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Iran denies any talks with Trump, claims he 'retreated'

23 March 2026 16:35 (UTC +04:00)

Iranian media and official sources directly contradicted U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of "productive conversations" with Iran on Monday, saying there has been no direct or indirect contact with Trump and claiming his decision to postpone strikes on Iranian power plants came after Iran warned it would target all energy infrastructure across West Asia in retaliation, Türkiye Today reports.

"There is no direct or indirect contact with Trump. He retreated after hearing that our targets would be all power plants in West Asia," an Iranian source told semi-official Fars News Agency.

The Iranian Embassy in Kabul stated on X, "After the Islamic Republic threatened that in the event of any American attack on Iran's energy infrastructure, the energy infrastructure of the entire region would be targeted, Trump backed down and said he had issued an order to postpone the attack."

The statements directly contradict Trump's Truth Social post earlier Monday, in which he said the U.S. and Iran had held "very good and productive conversations" over the past two days and that he had instructed the Department of War to postpone all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days.

"Trump backed down from attacking critical infrastructure as Iran's military threats became credible," a senior security official told Iran's semi-official Tasnim.

"The pressure on financial markets and the threat of bonds within the U.S. and the West has increased, and this has been another important factor for this backsliding. From the beginning of the war until today, messages have been sent to Tehran from some mediators, the clear answer of which has been that we will continue to defend until we achieve the necessary deterrence," the same official quoted by Tasnim added.

"There have been no negotiations and there are none, and with this kind of psychological warfare, neither the Strait of Hormuz will return to its pre-war conditions nor will there be peace in the energy markets," the official noted.

"Trump's 5-day ultimatum means the continuation of this regime's program for crimes against the people, and we will continue to respond and defend the country extensively," the official concluded.