Trump’s Iran deal claims fall flat as Tehran calls it fake news

While US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that it was in 'good and productive conversations' with Iran, Tehran has denied any such claims. 

Taking to social media, Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said no negotiations have been held and accused the US of using fake news to 'manipulate the financial and oil markets'. 

Political analyst Mitchell Plitnick explained that Trump used the opportunity of ‘talks’ to delay his threat to attack Iran’s electrical grid, rather than a genuine effort to negotiate.

On Sunday, Trump gave Iran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, or it would target the country’s power plants. 

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"He saw that the market was going to react badly to his threat to bomb Iran's electrical grid, and he wanted to stabilise the market.

“There's no indication that there are talks happening. Iran has been saying that there's no communication between them and the US, and that's been the case for a while now,” he emphasised.

Plitnick noted that Iran holds significant leverage in this situation, controlling the Strait of Hormuz and the potential for disruptions to the global energy supply.

"Ultimately, Iran does control the end of this war.”

To listen to Plitnick in conversation with CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit, use the audio player below: