Iranian sources have rejected reports that a new round of negotiations with the United States is under way, even as several news organizations have described meetings, mediation and proposals linked to the Strait of Hormuz. The result is a confusing public record in which the headlines appear more contradictory than the underlying details necessarily are.
A report attributed to Fars said Iranian sources called claims of a new negotiating round and an Iranian technical team traveling to New York false. Those sources also alleged that such reports were intended to influence markets and oil prices. No independent evidence reviewed for this article establishes that market manipulation was the purpose of the reporting, so that allegation should be understood as Iran's claim.
Axios, Al Jazeera and Reuters may not be describing the same thing
Axios reported Arab mediation around the UN General Assembly and efforts related to a possible U.S.-Iran meeting in New York. Additional Axios reporting said U.S. officials met the Iranian delegation, while Iranian accounts described at least some contacts through mediators.
Al Jazeera had earlier reported President Donald Trump's claim that he had communicated directly with Iran, while noting that Tehran had not confirmed a resumption of direct negotiations at that point. Other reporting attributed to the network said Iranian technical experts were to travel to New York, a claim Iranian sources later disputed.
Reuters reported on September 22 that Iran had put forward a phased proposal through mediators and was prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a short period if Washington reduced military pressure and lifted what Tehran calls a blockade on Iranian ports. Reuters also reported that the Iranian delegation in New York had authority to pursue diplomatic negotiations.
What did Iran actually deny?
The key distinction is between a "new round of negotiations" and the existence of any contact at all. Governments can deny that formal negotiations have opened while simultaneously exchanging messages through intermediaries, holding technical discussions or exploring a proposal without declaring an official round.
Based on the public information available, it is therefore not possible to conclude that no contact occurred. Nor is there enough to say a new formal negotiating round began or that an agreement was reached. What can be established is that different outlets described different forms of contact while Iranian sources disputed at least some of those descriptions.
There is also a terminology issue around the word "blockade." Reuters reported an Iranian demand to lift the "blockade" on Iranian ports. That is part of the Iranian description of U.S. pressure and should not, by itself, be treated as proof that Washington has formally defined the measures in the same terms.
