Hopes rose that the Iran war could begin winding down as US President Donald Trump claimed that his government was holding productive talks with Tehran, but fighting showed no signs of slowing and Iran denied there were talks.
Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, saying the US will hold off striking Iranian power plants for five more days to allow US envoys to hold talks with a "respected" Iranian leader.
Iranian officials said that the American leader had backed down "following Iran’s firm warning".
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi since Monday has been discussing the conflict with some of his counterparts.
Araghchi is speaking with officials from Azerbaijan, Egypt, Oman, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Turkey and Turkmenistan, his office confirmed.
Relief ripped through financial markets Monday as oil prices eased following severe losses prior to Trump’s announcement. Markets have experienced vicious swings up and down since the war began because of uncertainty about how long it may last.
A member of Iran’s Parliament has warned that his nation must "think wisely" about US President Donald Trump saying talks were ongoing between Tehran and Washington.
The semiofficial Fars news agency quoted Esmail Kowsari, a member of Parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, as making the comment.
"Trump, Netanyahu and the like are inherently liars and their nature is to create division," he said. "We must think wisely. Their nature is to sow discord so that they can make people distrust officials and believe that such actions have taken place, whereas no such action has occurred."
The death toll has risen to more than 1500 people in Iran, more than 1000 in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 US military members, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.
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