Iran Publicly Denies Talks With US

World markets remained in an upbeat mood on Monday after President Trump postponed a major escalation of the Iran war and said the two sides were engaged in "productive" talks to end the conflict. Much uncertainty remained about those talks. Coverage:

• Trump said son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff were leading the US negotiations with a "respected" Iranian leader, reports the AP. He did not say who that leader is, adding that it would be dangerous for the man to be identified, though he specified that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was not involved.
• Axios, quoting an Israeli official, reports the Iranian figure might be the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. However, Ghalibaf wrote on X that "no negotiations have been held with the US, and fakenews is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped."

• The New York Times reports that Iran, "at least publicly," is denying any progress. The nation's Fars News Agency quotes an unnamed senior Iranian official who said much the same as Ghalibaf: "Trump backed down from attacking critical infrastructure as Iran's military threats became credible," he said, per the Hill. "Financial market pressure and the threat of bonds within the US and the West have increased, and this has been another important factor in this retreat."
• Speaking to reporters Monday morning, Trump amplified his surprise Truth Social post. "We want to see no nuclear bomb, no nuclear weapon, not even close to it," he said, per the Wall Street Journal. He added that the US also wants Iran's enriched uranium. "If this happens, it's a great start for Iran to build itself back, and it's everything that we want. And it's also great for Israel, and it's great for the other Middle Eastern countries."
• Regardless of the uncertainties, markets were happy, notes CNBC. The Dow was up about 700 points at midday, and the price of oil was down. Brent crude, the international standard, fell about $9 to $103 a barrel.