Iran Says There Are No Negotiations with USA Over Nuclear Deal

Iran denied reports it’s in talks with the US over an interim nuclear deal to get sanctions relief.

“We confirm no such thing as negotiations for an interim agreement or new arrangements to replace the nuclear deal,” foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a press conference in Tehran on Monday.

He said, though, that the Islamic Republic is engaging with the US through intermediaries about prisoner swaps. The two could be “very close” to an agreement if the Americans show “determination,” he said.

Then-US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of a nuclear pact called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018, leading to tighter sanctions on Iran’s energy exports. Tehran has since ramped up nuclear enrichment.

Oil prices briefly dropped last week on reports — also denied by the US — that Washington and Tehran were near to a deal over Iran’s nuclear activities.