Trump Denies That He ‘Reached Out to Iran’ for Peace Talks

The president also said that he wants something ‘better than a ceasefire.’

President Donald Trump speaks to the press at the G7 summit, in Kananaskis, Canada, on June 16, 2025. Reuters/Suzanne Plunkett/Pool

President Donald Trump on June 17 said that he has not attempted to speak to Iranian officials for peace talks, denying reports that say otherwise.

In a Truth Social post, the president said that it’s up to Iran to speak to him on any negotiations, as the aerial war between Israel and Iran enters its fifth day.

“I have not reached out to Iran for ‘Peace Talks’ in any way, shape, or form,” Trump wrote on Tuesday. “This is just more HIGHLY FABRICATED, FAKE NEWS! If they want to talk, they know how to reach me. They should have taken the deal that was on the table – Would have saved a lot of lives!!!”

It comes as the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency said on June 17 it believes Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment site have had “direct impacts” on the facility’s underground centrifuge halls.

Those strikes are part of an air campaign Israel launched against its longtime foe on June 13, targeting Iran’s military and nuclear program.

“Based on continued analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday’s attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz,” the agency said.

A top Iranian official on Monday called on Trump to try to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Iran, suggesting that the president should apply pressure on the Israeli government.

“If President Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential,” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on social media platform X.

In a separate post, Trump also refuted claims that he was leaving the G7 a day early to focus on the Iran–Israel conflict, coming after French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters at the summit that Trump was leaving to work on a cease-fire.

“Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that,” the president said, referring to what Macron had said. He did not elaborate.

Throughout the conflict, Trump has stressed that Iran cannot be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that Israel attacked because of intelligence that Iran was enriching uranium to high enough levels to produce nuclear weapons.

Trump’s comment also came hours after he warned that people should immediately evacuate Iran’s capital. When asked on Air Force One whether he had urged the evacuation of Tehran, he said: “I just want people to be safe.”

While speaking on Air Force One, Trump also denied the cease-fire reports.

“I’m not looking at a ceasefire. We’re looking at better than a ceasefire,” he said.

Iran has retaliated by launching more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel. The Israeli military said a new barrage of missiles was launched on June 17, and explosions could be heard in northern Israel.

Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said on Monday that his country’s forces had “achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran’s skies.”

The Israeli military said it destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran’s total, including multiple launchers just before they were to launch ballistic missiles towards Israel.

Two F-14 fighter planes that Iran used to target Israeli aircraft were also destroyed, the military said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.