Iran denies negotiations with US after Trump announces 'productive' talks, calls him 'satan' amid de-escalation signals

A protester waves an Iranian flag at a protest march in central London on March 21, 2026, calling for a stop to the bombing of Iran. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)

Iranian state media on Monday denied that any direct or indirect talks were taking place with the United States, contradicting claims by US President Donald Trump of “productive” conversations between the two sides. In a sharp response, Iranian outlets also referred to Trump as “Satan,” underscoring the hostile tone.

The reaction came after Trump announced a five-day pause on planned strikes targeting Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure, signalling a possible de-escalation.

The Iranian state media also claimed that Trump had "backed down" fearing Tehran's response.

In a Truth Social post earlier today, Trump said Washington and Tehran had held "productive conversations" over the last two days towards "a complete and total resolution" of hostilities in the Middle East.

Based on the talks, Trump said he had instructed the Pentagon to "postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings."

The previously unreported US-Iranian talks would "continue throughout the week," Trump said.

The bombshell announcement came ahead of a Monday night ultimatum for the Islamic republic to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane -- or see Trump "obliterate" its power plants.

In response, Iran had threatened to deploy naval mines in the Gulf and target power plants across the region, ramping up its rhetoric after warnings the world faced an energy crisis of historic proportions if the US-Israeli war with Iran drags on.

Strikes

Tehran has retaliated against US-Israeli assaults by throttling traffic through Hormuz, conduit for a fifth of global crude, hitting energy sites and US embassies across the Gulf as well as targets in Israel.

Israel hit Tehran with fresh strikes early Monday -- with AFP witnessing a thick plume of black smoke billowing in the city's east.

Later in the day, another series of blasts were heard in the Iranian capital, though it was not immediately clear what had been hit.

The head of the International Energy Agency warned overnight that, in the event of a protracted war, daily oil losses put the world on track for a crisis worse than the combined impact of both 1970s oil shocks and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Oil prices have been driven above $100 a barrel by the conflict -- and tumbled sharply after Trump's Monday announcement.

International benchmark Brent North Sea crude plunged more than 14 percent to $96.00 per barrel, while the main US oil contract West Texas Intermediate shed more than 14 percent to $84.37 per barrel.

Sign of the conflict's tentacular impact, the world's second economy China said earlier Monday it was capping domestic fuel cost increases to mitigate the effect of surging oil prices.