Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei open to talks with US; no official confirmation yet: Media reports

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has indicated that he is open to negotiations with US and reach an agreement to potentially end the war "in accordance with Iran’s conditions", some media outlets reported on Tuesday.

The report comes after US President Donald Trump on Monday said there have been talks between Washington and Tehran over the past day that produced what he described as “major points of agreement".

Trump said talks had taken place on Sunday and were expected to continue, raising the possibility of an agreement to end the conflict. He added that his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law and close aide Jared Kushner were involved in the discussions with Iranian representatives. Trump also said the United States was “dealing with the man who I believe is the most respected and the leader,” while noting that Iran “still has some leaders left.”

He said the talks took place on Sunday after a call from the Iranian side, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff took part.

However,  Iran's state media cited a foreign ministry statement, saying that no talks are underway with the US. It said Trump's remarks are aimed at lowering energy prices and buying time to conduct military planning.

Trump had previously warned Iranian power plants would be destroyed if Tehran failed to “fully open" the Strait of Hormuz to shipping within 48 hours.

The deadline was set for Monday evening.

Amid reports of backchannel diplomacy and buzz on the "top person" named by Trump, a report in The Jerusalem Post, citing sources, claimed that Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf was leading the talks on behalf of Iran.

However, Ghalibaf rejected the claim, saying, “There have been no negotiations with the US, and fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped,” he said.