The US president, however, threatened a return to strong military action if diplomacy with Tehran collapses

The US and Iran are engaged in "very friendly" negotiations, US President Donald Trump has said, warning he could order a return to hostilities if diplomacy fails.

Iran, meanwhile, denied having any direct talks with the US but confirmed consultation with Oman, which has often acted as a mediator between the two.

Trump made the remarks on Monday, telling reporters, "I think there's a good chance that something could happen, and if it does, good, if it doesn't, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago."

Speaking at a campaign rally in Michigan later the same day, Trump also noted, referring to Iran: "You can't bribe them. You've got to beat them, and we'll beat the hell out of them... Right now, there are very friendly negotiations going on."

Separately, he confirmed to Axios that he had stopped the strikes on Iran to give diplomacy a chance, adding that if "deep talks" don't lead to results, "we will go back to very strong military action."

According to the outlet, the talks revolve around a new arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and revive negotiations on a broader nuclear deal. They are reportedly being conducted mainly between Iran and Oman, with Qatar, Pakistan and Egypt also involved, alongside Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei pushed back on Trump's comments, saying Tehran currently has no negotiations with Washington, and that reports it had requested talks were mere speculation.

He stressed that the only ongoing dialogue is with Oman over arrangements for the strait, adding, though, that Iran has "never hesitated to use diplomatic tools to protect our national interests."

Asked on what conditions Iran and the US could engage directly, Baghaei noted that Washington must first "demonstrate more responsible behavior" while accusing it of acting "like a mafia gang" over the past one to two years by disregarding international law.

"As long as this behavior continues, we cannot hope to create a favorable public atmosphere," he stressed.

The remarks came after the New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had held off on an expanded attack on Iran not only to give diplomacy more space, but also over concerns the Pentagon was running low on air-defense missiles - a claim Trump denied, saying the US has "far more munitions than anyone in the world."

The developments also come ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington. Netanyahu said before departing on Monday that he would discuss "all the issues on the agenda, primarily Iran" with Trump, adding: "Our goal is to maintain our security and also expand the circle of peace around us."

The current pause follows almost two weeks of renewed US strikes on Iran and Iranian retaliation, which began after the collapse of the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding due to escalation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The document established a temporary ceasefire, lifted the US naval blockade, and provided for the toll-free reopening of the strait to commercial shipping for 60 days, pending a longer-term arrangement between Iran and Oman on the waterway's administration. It also promised sanctions relief, a release of Iranian funds frozen abroad, and a US-backed reconstruction plan, contingent on a final deal. Harder questions, including the future of Iran's nuclear program, were deferred to a 60-day negotiating period.

(RT.com)