Iran denies US talks, limits Oman negotiations to Hormuz

TEHRAN

Iranian-made Zolfaghar missiles are displayed at Azadi Square in Tehran on Aug. 2, 2026. (AFP)

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Aug. 3 there were currently no negotiations with the United States but talks were taking place with Oman on management of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

“We are not currently negotiating with the United States. Our negotiations are with Oman to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” said ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei during a weekly press briefing.

Iran has kept control of Hormuz since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East on Feb. 28.

It has insisted that ships transiting the waterway, which is crucial for the global energy trade, should use a route designated by Iran after requesting permission and paying service fees.

Baqaei described the talks with Oman as “constructive,” saying they were aimed at reaching an agreement on a new route.

“We hope that both regional and extra-regional actors will appreciate this responsible move by Iran and adopt a constructive approach,” he added.

He maintained Iran’s position that as long as a U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports continues, “the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain unchanged”.

U.S. President Donald Trump said new talks to wind down the war in Iran would start Aug. 3 afternoon, after announcing he is holding off on new massive strikes he had threatened to unleash on the country.

The talks were set to seek to end the conflict and revive stalled cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway through which about a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed before the war.

Trump said on Aug. 2 he decided not to carry out major strikes against Iran at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He said a plan was in place for U.S. forces to carry out “the biggest attack since World War II,” but he decided to give diplomacy more time after hearing from key Gulf leaders, as well as at the request of unnamed Iranian officials.

“Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon,” he said. He did not provide further details or say who would be involved in the talks.

Trump has had a pattern of threatening massive strikes which he later calls off, with the announcements often later upended by renewed attacks. The abrupt shifts have been a defining feature of the five-month war that has upended global markets and sent the prices of fuel and other basic goods soaring.

Meanwhile, Iran Aug. 3 executed two men convicted of spying for Israel, the judiciary said, the latest in a wave of hangings over alleged espionage.

Since the start of the war with Israel and the United States in February, Tehran has ramped up executions, with many of the convicts accused of spying for Israeli intelligence.

“Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat were hanged this morning for transmitting the coordinates of sensitive military and security sites to Mossad agents,” said Mizan, the media outlet for Iran’s judiciary, referring to Israel’s foreign intelligence service.

It did not specify when the pair were arrested or when they went on trial, but said they were convicted of “espionage and collaboration with the Zionist regime.”

“They helped the intelligence services achieve their objectives by providing them with information on military and security centres during the war,” Mizan added.

Iran is the world’s second-most prolific executioner after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.