Top Iranian Official Denies Report He’s Trump’s Secret Negotiating Partner

A senior Iranian official named as President Donald Trump’s supposed backchannel contact has publicly rejected claims he is engaged in negotiations with Washington.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, pushed back after a report by The Jerusalem Post identified him as the “top person” Trump suggested his administration was engaging with.

Taking to X, Ghalibaf dismissed the claim outright, writing:

Iranian people demand complete and remorseful punishment of the aggressors. All Iranian officials stand firmly behind their supreme leader and people until this goal is achieved. No negotiations have been held with the US, and fakenews is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped.

The denial came hours after Trump hinted he had a high-level contact while speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, declining to name his counterpart but insisting negotiations were underway with someone of influence.

“A top person,” Trump said, offering no further details.

Pressed on whether Iran’s newly named supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was involved, the president said the U.S. had not heard from him. Khamenei has not appeared publicly since his appointment and is widely believed to be injured.

“Don’t forget: We’ve wiped out the leadership phase one, phase two and largely phase three. But we’re dealing with a man who I believe is the most respected and the leader, you know it’s a little tough, they’ve wiped out — we’ve wiped out everybody,” Trump added.

The claims of talks followed Trump’s announcement that he had paused planned strikes on Iran’s power infrastructure, citing newly opened communication channels. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has denied any such talks, as tensions remain high following U.S. threats tied to the Strait of Hormuz.

Watch above via CNN.

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