Iran’s foreign ministry on Friday denied that Tehran had sought to restart direct negotiations with the United States, directly rebutting an earlier claim by President Donald Trump. Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told state television that no request for talks had been made, and that Iran had merely agreed to receive a Qatari mediator who travelled to the Iranian city of Mashhad to discuss the latest situation. The statement, carried by multiple Iranian outlets, came hours after Trump posted on social media that the Islamic Republic had asked to continue “talks” and that Washington had agreed, while making clear that the June ceasefire was over.

Viewed from Tehran, the exchange is part of a broader pattern of what Iranian officials describe as habitual US reneging on commitments. Baghaei said a memorandum of understanding signed only 22 days earlier had been repeatedly violated by Washington. He cited this week’s military actions as breaches of the first two clauses, the cancellation of a licence for Iranian oil sales as a violation of another clause, and the announcement of new sanctions as a breach of the ninth clause. Out of 14 clauses, he said, the American side had violated various sections on different pretexts. Iran’s posture, he added, remains “commitment for commitment”: no obligation will be implemented without a reciprocal step, and Tehran has already taken what it called necessary measures in response.

Separately, Baghaei addressed a United Nations Security Council session on Iran’s nuclear file convened at the request of the United States, Britain and France. He argued that Resolution 2231, which underpinned the reporting requirement, had expired on 18 October 2025, rendering any discussion of its implementation legally meaningless. China and Russia, he noted, opposed the meeting from the outset on the same grounds. During the session, the deputy secretary-general raised Iran’s refusal to allow inspections of facilities damaged in attacks by Israel and the United States. Iranian officials countered that the Security Council, the IAEA Board of Governors and the UN secretary-general had failed to condemn those attacks, which they consider absolutely prohibited under international law. The meeting ended with no outcome, which Tehran dismissed as a repetitive propaganda exercise.

Amid the diplomatic friction, a parallel track continues with Oman. Baghaei confirmed that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi would travel to Muscat on Saturday for consultations on the Strait of Hormuz, a key element of the ceasefire memorandum. Iran has accepted responsibility for establishing normal arrangements and maritime services for vessel traffic in the area, and several rounds of technical meetings have already been held in Tehran and Muscat. The visit is intended to advance safe passage arrangements, even as the broader truce framework appears increasingly strained. With Trump declaring the ceasefire finished and both sides trading accusations of violations, the Qatari mediation channel and the Oman talks remain the visible diplomatic avenues, though their capacity to prevent further escalation remains uncertain.