Middle East violence continues after Trump claims ‘very good’ talks with Iran
Middle East violence continues after Trump claims ‘very good’ talks with Iran
Despite President Donald Trump’s assertion that the United States is engaged in “very good” discussions with Iran, hostilities in the Middle East have persisted. On Tuesday, Iranian forces launched missile barrages at Israel, Gulf nations, and northern Iraq, while Israeli and American air strikes targeted locations in Tehran and other strategic sites within Iran. The escalating conflict has drawn condemnation from multiple officials in Tehran, who have dismissed claims of ongoing negotiations as misleading.
Iran denies talks, cites past distrust
The Iranian parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, claimed in a social media post that no direct talks had taken place with the US. “Fake news is used to manipulate financial and oil markets,” he said, casting doubt on the credibility of the reported discussions. Tehran has long viewed US negotiations with skepticism, recalling prior talks that preceded the surprise attack which killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei and numerous senior officials. Similar discussions occurred last year when the US and Israel targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, sparking a 12-day conflict.
“Their nature is to sow discord so that they can make people distrust officials and believe that such actions have taken place, whereas no such action has occurred,” said Esmail Kowsari, a member of Iran’s national security and foreign policy committee, as reported by Fars news agency.
Intermediaries report progress
Despite Tehran’s skepticism, potential intermediaries such as Pakistan, Oman, Egypt, and others have confirmed tentative efforts to establish communication between Washington and Tehran. These channels, though not yet formalized, suggest a shift in diplomatic momentum. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has engaged in recent conversations with counterparts from Azerbaijan, Egypt, Oman, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, and Turkmenistan, according to his office.
In Islamabad, officials hinted at a possible meeting involving Iranian representatives and Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, alongside Jared Kushner and JD Vance. A European official noted to Reuters that while direct negotiations remain absent, Egypt, Pakistan, and Gulf states are acting as relays for messages between the two nations.
Escalating tensions and military moves
Recent diplomatic activity followed a weekend of threats between the US and Iran, with each side preparing to strike infrastructure that could disrupt energy supply and desalination plants in the Gulf region. Trump postponed a deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping or face power station attacks, a decision that briefly lowered oil prices. The new deadline is set for Friday.
The US continues to bolster its military presence around Iran, with approximately 5,000 marines en route to the region. Iranian media reported that Israeli-US strikes hit two gas facilities and a pipeline in central Iran, hours after Trump retreated from his threat to target power infrastructure. The Fars news agency described the damage as “partial,” though it did not cite a specific source for the report.
Regional impacts and continued strikes
In Tel Aviv, a missile with a 100kg warhead bypassed defenses, striking a downtown street and damaging a nearby residential building. Smoke from the explosion spread through the area, while Israel’s air strikes focused on Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs. A residential strike southeast of the Lebanese capital reportedly killed at least two people, according to the country’s health ministry.
Missile alerts were also reported in Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry stated it had intercepted 19 Iranian drones targeting its oil-rich Eastern province. Meanwhile, in Kuwait, power outages occurred after air defense shrapnel damaged electrical lines. Analysts suggest internal divisions among Iranian officials may fuel the defiant response to US diplomatic overtures.
