Trump insists Iran talks under way, warns Tehran’s ‘last chance’ to secure deal

Trump insists Iran talks under way, warns Tehran’s ‘last chance’ to secure deal MEE staff Iran denies direct negotiations, warns that US military blockade carries the threat of ‘serious risks and casualties’ People walk past an anti-US billboard on a street in Tehran, Iran, 3 August 2026 (Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters) USPresident Donald Trump claims that direct negotiations with Iran are under way, and has warned that the latest round is Tehran’s “last chance” to secure a deal to end the war. Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, denied that any direct negotiations with Washington were ongoing, nor any plans for meetings, as the talks over the management of the Strait of Hormuz remain mediated by Oman. According to sources who spoke to Anadolu, Pakistani and Qatari negotiators are working to secure a meeting date and venue. On Monday, Pakistan issued an urgent invitation to Iranian negotiators to Islamabad, in what appears to be a bid to renew stalled Iran-US talks. During a phone call, Pakistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Ishaq Dar invited Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Islamabad “at his earliest convenience". Mohsen Rezaei, the top military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that American military vessels and forces will “face serious risks and casualties” if Washington’s naval blockade on Iranian ports continues. "The U.S. must change its behavior — or we will not tolerate this. We will never permit the opening of a second corridor in the Strait of Hormuz,” Rezaei said in a post on X. Iranian and US officials told the New York Times that Iran and Oman are close to finalising a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic, handing Tehran near total control over the contested waterway. Reuters reported on Tuesday that a Liberian-flagged ship was struck by an unknown projectile while crossing the Strait close to Oman’s coast. middleeasteye.net War on Iran: Rescuers search for survivors on Qeshm Island after US kills toddler and parents According to maritime sources, at least one seafarer remains missing after the crew abandoned the vessel. Meanwhile, Rezaei confirmed that a plan to conduct retaliatory strikes on three sites in Ukraine, following a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian ship, was scrapped after Kyiv issued an “apology”. In an interview with Iranian state television, Rezaei said that Tehran's armed forces had completed preparations for the strikes before the operation was aborted. The five month US-Iran conflict has sent oil giants’ profits soaring amid surging oil and gas prices, with BP reporting that its quarterly profits had more than doubled. Shell confirmed that it had doubled its net profit to almost $10bn in the three months to June, while Saudi-owned Aramco saw a 44 percent rise in net profits over the same period. Seventh round of peace talks Meanwhile, the seventh round of talks between Israel andLebanon are under way in Rome. The three-day round of US-brokered negotiations will focus on continued Israeli violations of a conditional ceasefire struck in April, including land-clearing operations, explosions and the demolition of homes. A Lebanese official told Anadolu that their delegation will