Iran denies negotiating with US after Trump announces talks

TEHRAN: Iran denied any negotiations were taking place with the United States after President Donald Trump said new talks would begin on Monday (Aug 3) in an effort to end their war, now in its sixth month.The rebuttal by the Iranian foreign ministry follows Trump saying he had held off launching new strikes on the Islamic Republic to allow for further diplomatic efforts, a familiar pattern in the conflict.Washington and Tehran have been at war since Feb 28, when the US and Israel launched surprise strikes against Iran, though months of on-off diplomacy have led to periods of relative calm.Trump last week threatened to hit Iran "very hard", with the US leader reportedly considering renewed attacks, including against energy infrastructure. But the president pulled back from that threat on S