US President Donald Trump on Monday (March 23, 2026) said Iran had agreed not to possess nuclear weapons after “productive talks”, a claim firmly rejected by Tehran.
At the Memphis Safe Task Force Roundtable, Trump said, “We are now having really good discussions. They started last night, a little bit the night before that. I think they’re very good. They want peace. They’ve agreed they will not have a nuclear weapon.”
He added, “But we’ll see. Hopefully, we can make a deal that’s good for all of us, including the Middle Eastern allies that have been very good to us, including Israel, which has been a great partner in this fight. But we’ll see what happens. I think there’s a very good chance we’re going to end up in a deal.”
Talking about ‘Operation Epic Fury’ against Iran, Trump said, “As I announced earlier, based on preliminary conversations between the United States and Iran over the past two days, I’ve directed the Department of War to temporarily postpone planned strikes against major energy and electricity targets in Iran…to determine whether a broader agreement can be reached.”
Talking about the US-Iran discussion over the last two days, the American President noted: “Now, Iran has one more opportunity to end its threats to America and our allies, and we hope they take it. Either way, America and the entire world will soon be much safer.”
He claimed that the US had destroyed Iran’s defence industrial base and eliminated the Iranian Navy and the Air Force. “We eliminated all of their air defence. Everything. We eliminated their leaders. Then the second set, 88 people, met to pick a new leader. And they’re now extinguished. And then they’re meeting again. But now nobody wants to be the leader. It’s one of the few political jobs that nobody wants anywhere in the world. Nobody wants it,” he added.
Claiming that the US was systematically dismantling the Iranian regime’s ability to threaten America, Trump said, “It’s a very dangerous job. My job is dangerous, too, but their job is worse. In other words, we’re systematically dismantling the regime’s ability to threaten America. They’re not threatening us anymore.”
He said, “As commander-in-chief, it’s my sacred responsibility to protect our country from all threats.”
In response to Trump’s claims, Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Monday (March 23) firmly rejected that his nation was engaged in “productive talks” with the US to end the West Asian conflict.
“No negotiations have been held 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,” Ghalibaf posted on X.
The Iranian people demand “complete and remorseful punishment of the aggressors” and that all officials remain firmly behind their “supreme leader and people until this goal is achieved,” he added in the post.
Trump’s announcement of talks with Iran immediately moved the markets, with oil prices falling by 10% after it had surged over the weekend, as there were indications of further escalation of the war in West Asia.
The bourses too rose, as it indicated optimism of a potential de-escalation in the Gulf war, and a move towards peace and stability.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry, too, denied it had any talks with the US, saying it received “messages from friendly countries” about a US request for dialogue, but stressing that no direct discussion took place between the two nations.
“Over the past few days, messages were received through some friendly countries indicating a US request for negotiations aimed at ending the war,” the news agency quoted Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei as saying.
However, Baqaei confirmed to the news agency that “no negotiations or talks with the United States” had occurred during the 24 days of the war, which began on February 28 after a US-Israel airstrike on Tehran killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei within his office compound.