President Donald Trump said Monday that negotiations with Iran remain ongoing despite reports from Tehran suggesting that discussions with the United States were being suspended following Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump sought to reassure observers that diplomatic efforts had not collapsed, stating that talks between Washington and Tehran were continuing “at a rapid pace” even as the two sides have yet to reach an agreement aimed at ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The president’s comments came after reports from Iran indicated that the country planned to halt communications with the United States amid growing tensions surrounding Israeli military activity targeting Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.
Earlier in the day, Trump told NBC News that he was not aware of any official decision by Iran to suspend talks. He also appeared largely unconcerned by the reports, suggesting that a pause in negotiations would not necessarily alter his position.
“If they don’t want to talk, that’s OK with me,” Trump said. “I think it’s fine. I don’t particularly want to talk either. We talk too much.”
The president also offered a pointed assessment of Iran’s negotiating strategy.
“It’s an appropriate thing to say, because they’re better negotiators than they are fighters,” he said. “But they haven’t informed us of that.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the diplomatic process, Trump emphasized that the breakdown of discussions would not automatically lead to a military escalation.
In an earlier statement, he said the end of talks “doesn’t mean we’re going to go and start dropping bombs all over there,” signaling that negotiations and military action should not be viewed as the only two possible outcomes.
Later Monday, Trump revealed additional details about conversations he had held regarding the conflict in Lebanon. He described a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “very productive” and addressed speculation about a possible troop deployment.
“There will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The president also said he had communicated with Hezbollah through what he described as “highly placed Representatives.”
According to Trump, those contacts resulted in an understanding aimed at stopping further hostilities.
“They agreed that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel,” he wrote.
Iran, however, has sharply criticized recent developments. Tehran accused the Trump administration of violating the ceasefire through Israel’s military operations against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant organization operating in Lebanon.
Iran also announced that it would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and cease exchanging messages with the United States.
Israeli military operations continued Monday after Netanyahu ordered attacks on Lebanese neighborhoods controlled by Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi argued that Lebanon falls under the terms of the ceasefire arrangement between Iran and the United States.
“Any violation of this ceasefire on one front shall be considered a violation of it across all fronts,” Araghchi wrote on X. “The United States and Israel bear responsibility for the consequences of any breach of the truce.”
The latest developments follow a White House Situation Room meeting on Friday, where Trump met with advisers to make what was described as a “final determination” regarding an Iranian proposal that would extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. No final decision emerged from that meeting, leaving negotiations ongoing as regional tensions continue to test the fragile diplomatic effort
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