Middle East crisis live: Iran denies Trump’s claims that talks due to take place

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Iranian spokesperson says there are no plans to receive or send a delegation following US president’s assertion that talks would take place on Monday</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/03/trump-us-iran-talks-strait-of-hormuz-nuclear-programme">Trump says Iran talks set for Monday</a></p></li></ul><p>CNN reports that an officer in the intelligence branch of the <strong>US Central Command</strong> <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/03/politics/us-military-iran-war-troops-punish">sent a message</a> to a broad group of military analysts “looking for <strong>new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish</strong> <strong>Iran</strong>”.</p><p>The email went out on Wednesday, before <strong>Donald Trump</strong> threatened to launch new strikes against Iran and then backed down after speaking on the phone to the Saudi crown prince <strong>Mohammed bin Salman</strong>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/aug/03/us-iran-trump-strait-of-hormuz-talks-israel-gaza-lebanon-latest-news-updates">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.