“Fantasies”: Iran hits back at Trump’s backchannel claims

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that Washington is holding behind-the-scenes talks with IRGC officials, calling the assertion false.

IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said there was “no ongoing conversation” between the Guard and the United States, adding that Trump’s claim was the result of what he described as “illusions and nightmares resulting from defeat” in the war.

“There is no ongoing conversation between IRGC officials and the Americans, and this lie of Trump’s is merely a fantasy that has afflicted him due to the illusions and nightmares resulting from defeat and despair in the war,” He said.

“Trump’s mental fantasies will not help him in the field,” he added.

Mohebbi also said diplomatic contacts, if any, fall under Iran’s Foreign Ministry, but claimed that no talks with Washington were currently taking place there either.

Trump confirms reported backchannel

Trump said Monday that the United States had established a backchannel with IRGC officials as Washington and Tehran remain at odds over efforts to end the war.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump confirmed that US officials were communicating with the IRGC through a backchannel and said he was “not in a hurry” to reach a deal.

The comments came as the deadline for a 60-day US-Iran memorandum expired without a final agreement.

Reports say that negotiations had stalled, particularly over control of the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran warned it could adopt a “fully offensive” posture if diplomacy failed.

A report by Axios published Sunday said the Trump administration had sought a secret backchannel channel to the IRGC, with Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani reportedly helping relay messages to the Guard’s leadership.

Mohebbi rejected the claims, saying the IRGC represents Iran’s military power and that any diplomatic engagement should be handled through the country’s formal institutions.

He also accused Trump of using talk of negotiations to influence global oil and energy prices, and said Washington’s only option was to accept what he described as its defeat and Iran’s conditions.