Iran denies seeking halt to US attacks, agreement to reopen Strait of Hormuz

Iranian military officials on Sunday dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claim that Tehran had asked for a halt to a planned US attack as a “lie,” as sources denied reports of an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“Trump’s claim that Iran asked for the attacks to be halted is merely another lie and a desperate attempt to blackmail Gulf rulers and pressure them through threats,” the officials were quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.

They said Iranian forces remained at the “highest level of readiness” and were prepared for all possibilities.

“If confrontation becomes inevitable, the battlefield will be decisive,” the officials said. “At that point, everyone will understand who holds the power and who will have the final say.”

Separately, a source close to Iran’s negotiating team denied reports that an agreement had been reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“No agreement has been reached on reopening the Strait of Hormuz,” the source told the semi-official Fars News Agency.

An informed military source also told Fars that the strategic waterway would remain closed as long as the US continued “hostile actions.”

The source said vessels would be allowed to pass only through the designated route and with authorization from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Trump said Saturday that he canceled a planned military strike against Iran after Tehran and “other Middle Eastern countries” requested time to finalize the framework of a peace deal, saying Israel has joined the commitment.

​​​​​​​In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump claimed that the sides agreed to the “perimeters” of a potential deal that would include the "immediate, complete, and total" reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran's nuclear threat.