Washington/Memphis, 24 March (H.S.): US President Donald Trump declared on Monday that Iran has agreed to forgo nuclear weapons, touting fresh discussions as a potential path to peace even as Tehran slammed the assertions as market-rigging fiction.

Speaking at the Memphis Safe Task Force Roundtable in Tennessee, Trump painted an optimistic picture of talks that kicked off over the weekend. They've agreed they will not have a nuclear weapon. But we'll see, he said, adding that the conversations signal Iran wants peace and could yield a deal benefiting allies like Israel.

He revealed directing the Department of War to halt strikes on Iran's key energy and power targets under Operation Epic Fury – a massive campaign launched last month to dismantle Tehran's military edge – giving diplomacy a five-day window.

Trump boasted of crippling blows already landed. We've annihilated their defense industrial base, eliminating their Navy... Air Force... all of their air defense. Everything, he stated, claiming leadership vacuums have left no one eager to steer the regime.

The pause, he stressed, stems from preliminary conversations over two days, with Iran facing one last shot to curb threats against America and its partners.

Iran's response came swiftly and sharply. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf rejected Trump's narrative outright on Monday, insisting no negotiations occurred and labeling the claims fake news meant to manipulate volatile financial and oil markets roiled by the conflict.

No negotiations have been held with the US... to escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped, Ghalibaf posted on X, echoing warnings of retaliation against any infrastructure hits.

The exchange unfolds against Operation Epic Fury's backdrop, a US-led push since late February targeting Iran's nuclear sites, missiles, proxies, and navy to force regime change or capitulation.

Trump has flip-flopped on ceasefires before, but analysts note these hints at breakthroughs – including uranium seizure pledges – mark a pivot, even if indirect channels via respected figures persist amid denials.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar