Trump denies Axios report that he offered Iran sanctions relief

President Donald Trump on Monday firmly denied reports from Axios that he had offered Iran sanctions relief and the release of frozen funds, as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate. Axios published a story claiming that Trump was willing to provide sanctions relief and release Iranian frozen funds in exchange for specific actions from Iran regarding its nuclear program.

However, Trump vehemently rejected these allegations on his Truth Social platform, stating "I offered them NOTHING!" The 80-year-old Republican called the story a "HOAX" and demanded that Axios retract it. This comes as Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was set to meet with Qatari mediators in New York on Monday. Earlier, US and Iranian officials had met last week in New York during the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Tehran has not scheduled any further direct talks with Washington. On Saturday, Trump rejected a proposal from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that carries a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied gas, which has been effectively blockaded by Iran since the start of the conflict on February 28th. The situation has led to a significant increase in gas and other product prices in the US.

Trump expects talks to resume in the coming days, as the strategic Strait of Hormuz remains at the heart of the ongoing conflict.