Iran denies US talks as parliament speaker calls reports fake news By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf denied on Monday that any negotiations have taken place with the United States, calling such reports fake news designed to manipulate financial and oil markets. "No negotiations have been held with the US, and fakenews is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped," Ghalibaf wrote. The statement comes after President Trump told reporters that his envoys held talks with a senior official in the Iranian leadership and claimed the parties are in agreement on many points. Trump walked back his threat to strike Iran's power plants on Monday, citing productive negotiations. An Israeli official told Axios that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had been speaking with Ghalibaf. Trump did not name the Iranian interlocutor, saying he did not want to get him killed. Ghalibaf wrote that Iranian people demand the complete punishment of aggressors and that all officials stand firmly behind their Leader and people until this goal is achieved.