Trump Says US Not Negotiating With Iranian Leader Khamenei in Ongoing Talks

Iranian state-run media, however, disputed that any talks were being held, citing unnamed sources in the Iranian regime.

A plume of smoke rises from the site of a strike in Tehran on March 17, 2026. Atta Kenare/ AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump said on March 23 that his administration is not negotiating with Iran’s top leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, in ongoing talks and dismissed statements made by Iranian state-run media that talks aren’t occurring.

“We’re dealing with a man who I believe is the most respected and the leader,” Trump told reporters in a press gaggle in West Palm Beach, Florida.