President Donald Trump denied reports that the United States had offered sanctions relief or the release of frozen Iranian funds in exchange for steps to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme. The denial came after oil prices rose, with Brent crude futures climbing 1.11 per cent to $103.73 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate gaining 0.38 per cent to $89.72. The increase follows a brief dip as Middle East supply recovered.
Iranian officials reacted sharply to Trump’s statement. Ebrahim Azizi, head of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, warned that Iran would remain in the region and that Israel’s days were numbered. A spokesperson for the Revolutionary Guards urged American voters to punish Trump’s “warmongering” in the November mid‑term election, calling for the removal of “evil, deceitful, and violent politicians.”
Meanwhile, Qatar has stepped in as a potential mediator. Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al‑Ansari said the country was exchanging messages between the parties and working toward a deal to end the seven‑month conflict. Qatar previously helped produce a June memorandum that led to a brief ceasefire, and negotiations intensified during the UN General Assembly in New York, though no agreement has yet been reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
In related developments, U.S. forces completed their withdrawal from Iraq, a move Tehran hailed as a victory for allied armed groups. The drawdown, agreed under the Biden administration in 2024, ended a 23‑year U.S. presence that began after the 2003 invasion of Saddam Hussein. The decision coincides with the U.S. Treasury granting a one‑month exemption to Iraqi Airways to resume flights to Iran, a move aimed at easing travel restrictions imposed by U.S. sanctions.
