Iran on Monday pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump's claims of having had "very good and productive conversations" with Iran, focused on ending the war.
President Trump announced Monday morning he had pushed back a self-imposed deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on energy infrastructure within the country.
The president suggested that significant negotiations with Iranian officials had taken place, and he imposed a new deadline of this Friday.
At a roundtable in Tennessee, the president suggested that an end to the conflict could come as soon as this week.
"My whole life has been a negotiation. But with Iran, we've been negotiating for a long time. And this time they mean business. And it's only because of the great job that our military did is the reason they mean business. They want to settle it," President Trump said. "We'll see what happens. I think it's a very good chance we're going to end up in a deal. So we're giving it five days and then we're going to see where that takes us."
But Iranian officials up and down the government suggested that no direct negotiations have taken place.
Iran has so far made no official concessions about reopening the strait, which contradicts President Trump's claims earlier on Monday.
Officials in Iran also suggested President Trump's new comments Monday amounted to a defeat or retreat for the United States.
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Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had had some conversations via intermediaries and third-party countries in the region.
According to local media reports, some of those countries included Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan.
But there are few signs that the conflict is approaching a resolution. Several warships carrying thousands of U.S. Marines are still en route to the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday acknowledged President Trump's mention of a potential diplomatic solution to the conflict.
But he also noted that Israel is continuing its campaign against Iran and Lebanon. In a statement, he said "We will safeguard our vital interest until under all circumstances."
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