Trump says U.S.-Iran talks will begin as Tehran disputes claim

President Donald Trump said Sunday, August 2, 2026, that he delayed planned U.S. strikes against Iran after appeals from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and that new talks to wind down the conflict would begin Monday, August 3.

Iran’s public account is different. Esmail Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said Monday that Tehran’s discussions were with Oman, not directly with Washington, and focused on creating a temporary route for safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflicting descriptions leave the status of formal U.S.-Iran diplomacy unclear. The available public record does not identify a negotiating format, named participants, written agreement or confirmed meeting schedule between the two governments.

What Trump said

Trump said he held off on a planned military operation after Gulf leaders urged him to give diplomacy more time. The Associated Press reported that he did not publicly identify who would take part in the proposed talks or explain whether they would be direct, mediated or conducted through intermediaries.

That makes the announcement a claim of renewed diplomacy, not confirmation that formal U.S.-Iran negotiations had begun. The available reporting supports a delay or hold-off in planned strikes, not a permanent cancellation or a confirmed ceasefire.

What Iran says is being discussed

Baghaei said Iran’s current discussions were with Oman and concerned a temporary safe-navigation route through the strait. That is a narrower description than Trump’s broader claim that talks would wind down the conflict.

Oman has a documented role in the navigation issue. Oman’s Foreign Ministry said on June 24 that it had worked with the International Maritime Organization to make a temporary maritime corridor available for vessels, with ships asked to coordinate with the IMO and relevant Omani authorities.

Oman and Iran have also described themselves as the coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz. In a June 23 joint statement, they reaffirmed commitments to safe passage under international law and said they would continue discussions through a bilateral working group on navigation administration, services and related costs.

Oman’s Foreign Ministry separately reported that Omani and Iranian officials held political and technical discussions in Muscat on July 11 about safety and freedom of navigation. Those talks predated the August 2-3 dispute and do not, by themselves, establish direct U.S.-Iran negotiations.

Why the Strait matters

The Strait of Hormuz is a central route for energy shipments. AP reported that about one-fifth of traded oil and natural gas passed through the waterway before the war. That is a prewar trade figure, not an estimate of current flows.

Disrupted traffic can raise security and insurance costs for ship operators, delay cargoes and put pressure on energy prices and supply chains. AP reported that nine vessels transited the strait on Sunday, most using an Iranian-controlled route, according to Kpler. That limited movement does not establish that the waterway has reopened for normal commercial traffic.

For shippers, insurers and energy buyers, the immediate question is whether any navigation arrangement is operational, enforceable and accepted by the parties that control or influence traffic. No durable arrangement has been publicly confirmed.

What readers should watch next

The clearest evidence of a diplomatic shift would be a confirmed meeting, an official U.S.-Iran or U.S.-Oman statement, or a named channel with agreed participants. Other indicators include further military action, new navigation advisories, vessel-transit data and any formal ceasefire or shipping agreement.

For now, the pause in planned strikes may reduce immediate escalation risk, but it does not establish a settlement. Washington says diplomacy is restarting; Tehran says its publicly acknowledged contact is with Oman and is focused on navigation through the strait.

Sources

• Associated Press: Trump claims Iran talks will start Monday
• Oman Foreign Ministry: Temporary Strait of Hormuz corridor