- Iran's IRGC denies US claims of backchannel talks with Iranian officials
- IRGC spokesperson called Trump's remarks unfounded and rejected negotiations
- Trump said US contacted IRGC and urged Iran to surrender as MoU expired
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday rejected US President Donald Trump's claim that his administration has maintained a backchannel with Iranian officials, as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict between the two countries remained deadlocked.
IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohammadi said there were no talks between the Revolutionary Guards and US officials, dismissing Trump's remarks as unfounded.
“There are no talks between IRGC officials and Americans,” Mohammadi told the state-run Tasnim news agency.
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His comments came hours after Trump told Fox News that his administration had been in contact with members of the IRGC and said Washington was in no rush to reach an agreement with Tehran.
Trump also called on Iran to “put up the white flag of surrender” as a memorandum of understanding between the two sides expired on Monday.
Mohammadi said the IRGC had no intention of negotiating with Washington, citing what he described as repeated US violations of agreements and broken promises.
“This lie from Trump is simply fantasies that he is experiencing due to delusions and nightmares resulting from defeat and desperation in the war,” Al Jazeera quoted him as saying.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei separately said the expiry of the MoU was effectively meaningless because of what he called “gross” US violations.
He said Iranian forces remained prepared to respond to any attack.
The developments came amid uncertainty over diplomatic efforts involving the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and Oman, which has historically played a role in facilitating communication between Washington and Tehran.
Trump also issued a warning to Oman, saying the Gulf nation would face US military action if it interfered with Washington's objectives in the region.
The Iran-US MoU, signed in June, expired on Monday after efforts to secure a broader agreement to end the conflict failed to make progress.
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