Iran targets Israel and Gulf states after denying Trump claim of talks

There’s no sign of reduced fighting after the US president claimed there was dialogue in the Iran war3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenPublished: 3:12pm, 24 Mar 2026Updated: 3:56pm, 24 Mar 2026Smoke rose from central Tel Aviv as Iranian missiles and drones targeted Israel and Gulf Arab states Tuesday, even as US President Donald Trump said the US was in talks with the Islamic Republic to end the war.Trump also delayed a deadline for Iran to open the strategic Strait of Hormuz for shipping or see its power stations targeted by air strikes, briefly driving down oil prices and boosting stocks.The delay offered a reprieve after the US and Iran traded threats over the weekend of strikes that could have cut electricity to millions in Iran and around the Gulf and knocked out desalination plants that provide many desert nations with drinking water, while raising fears of possible catastrophe if nuclear plants were hit.But any information on the talks described by Trump remain in dispute with Iran, which denied any talks had been held.02:04Tehran residents voice doubt about US President Trump’s claims of peace talks with IranTehran residents voice doubt about US President Trump’s claims of peace talks with Iran“No negotiations have been held with the US,” Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on X, adding that “fakenews is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets”.