Tehran Refutes Trump's Words: "There Are No Negotiations, He Backed Down Due to Our Threats"
Iranian state media issued denials after Donald Trump's words about supposedly successful negotiations with Iran. According to Tehran, no contacts with Washington have taken place, and the change in the White House's rhetoric is exclusively due to fear of a large-scale retaliatory strike.
Clerics and other demonstrators at an anti-Israel rally, Tehran, March 13, 2026. Photo: AP Photo / Vahid Salemi
Fars Agency claims that there is "neither direct nor indirect contact through intermediaries" between the parties. According to the agency, Trump ordered to postpone the strikes only after hearing a warning:
in case of an attack on Iranian facilities, all power plants in the Middle East would become targets of Tehran's strikes.
Tasnim Agency, citing its own source, confirms that "there were no negotiations and there are none." The agency's interlocutor stated that the American president abandoned the bombing of Iran's energy infrastructure when he realized that Iranian threats "had gained persuasiveness."
In addition to the military threat, Tasnim sources name several other reasons for Trump's retreat.
Among them are strong pressure from financial markets and the critical situation with global energy prices.
Iranian officials emphasize that since the beginning of the conflict, messages were conveyed through intermediaries, to which Tehran gave a consistent clear answer: the country will continue its defense and will not make concessions under pressure.