TEHRAN — Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi denied on Wednesday that Iranian and U.S. officials held talks in Oman, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that the two sides had engaged in 11 hours of negotiations and saying Tehran would not initiate discussions with Washington following recent U.S. actions.
“There was no dialogue between Iran and the United States in Oman,” Gharibabadi said in a televised interview. “Our discussions in Oman were solely with Omani officials and we had no negotiations with the American side.”
“The claim that there were 11 hours of negotiations with the United States is not true and is categorically denied,” he added.
Gharibabadi also said Iran had presented Oman with a proposal for a new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz while insisting that use of the southern navigation channel was unacceptable to Tehran under current conditions.
“We emphasized in Muscat that we will not accept the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz under any circumstances,” he said.
The deputy foreign minister said Iran’s delegation traveled to Oman to explain Tehran’s position to Omani officials and to ensure the issue did not become a dispute between the two neighboring countries.
“Our mission was to make clear to our Omani friends that the Islamic Republic of Iran has no intention of violating Oman’s sovereignty,” he said.
According to Gharibabadi, Iran requested that the southern shipping lane be temporarily suspended and proposed an alternative route developed in consultation with military commanders responsible for overseeing
 the strategic waterway.
“Our proposal was that neither the northern route nor the southern route be used, and that vessels instead pass through this new route so that security is maintained, tensions and confrontation are avoided, and all parties can return to fulfilling their obligations,” he said.
Gharibabadi said Iran’s position was shaped by what it considers wartime conditions and concerns that the Strait of Hormuz could be used in ways that threaten Iranian national security.
“The Strait of Hormuz must not become a platform for actions that endanger Iran’s national security,” he said, arguing that international maritime law recognizes the need to safeguard the security and sovereignty of coastal states.
Addressing recent tensions with Washington, Gharibabadi said the United States is violating the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, adding Washington’s actions have effectively destroyed the agreement.
“America, through its recent action, has violated all of its commitments under this memorandum of understanding,” he said.
“In my view, even the word ‘violation’ is insufficient to describe what the United States has done. By its latest announcement, the United States has set aside all of its commitments under the Islamabad understanding and has effectively dismantled it.”
He said the foundation of the agreement had been an immediate and lasting halt to military operations against Iran and an end to hostilities on other fronts, including Lebanon.
“When this fundamental commitment is not respected by the United States, the legal and operational basis of the Islamabad understanding no longer exists,” he said.
Gharibabadi also stressed that Iran’s response to any future U.S. military aggression should go beyond a proportional response.
“Why should our response only be proportional?” he said. “The response of the Islamic Republic of Iran must be such that it makes the other side regret repeating its aggression.”
“Our response should not merely be proportional; it should be regret-inducing,” he added.
The deputy foreign minister said Iran would not be the party to seek renewed talks with Washington following U.S. aggression.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not be the first country to request negotiations with the United States after these criminal actions,” he said. “We will never ask for negotiations with America.”
“If the United States believes that by increasing pressure and military measures it can force the Islamic Republic to request negotiations, it is gravely mistaken,” he added. “The Iranian nation is a resistant nation, and such calculations will yield no result.”
Gharibabadi said calls by some foreign officials for Iran to “return to the negotiating table” are misplaced because, in Tehran’s view, Iran has not abandoned diplomacy.
“Iran did not leave the negotiating table,” he said. “It was the United States that, through its actions, dismantled the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.”