President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday night that negotiations with Iran to end the war continue despite the Iranian leadership claiming no such talks were taking place.
Speaking to Republicans at the annual Republican National Congressional Committee fundraising dinner, Trump said Iran’s leaders want to make a deal “badly” to end the U.S. military campaign in the Middle Eastern country but are afraid to say so because “they figure they’ll be killed by their own people.”
He continued, “They’re also afraid they’ll be killed by us.”
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with Iranian state TV on Wednesday evening that no talks have occurred.
“No negotiations have happened with the enemy until now, and we do not plan on any negotiations,” Araghchi said, according to the Associated Press.
Negotiations between the United States and Iran have been fraught, with the president and the White House maintaining that talks are underway while Iran has repeatedly denied speaking to U.S. officials.
But talks between the two countries hit a low point on Wednesday after Iranian officials rejected a purported 15-point proposal from the U.S. to end the war while making a counteroffer of their own.
The U.S. proposal reportedly included the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, placing limits on Iran’s ballistic missile capacity and range, and the removal of Iran’s nuclear capabilities and facilities.
Meanwhile, Iran is seeking reparations from the U.S. and Israel for damages from strikes from the two countries, recognition of Iran’s authority over the Strait of Hormuz, and a stop to Israeli and U.S. attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, among other points.
The White House refused to confirm the details of the U.S.’s proposal earlier Wednesday, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters that while reports of the proposal contain “elements of truth,” some of the information was not “entirely factual.”
“I saw a 15-point plan that was floated in the media. I would caution reporters in this room from reporting about speculative points or speculative plans from anonymous sources,” Leavitt said. “The White House never confirmed that full plan.”
During his remarks, Trump asserted that the U.S. is “decimating” Iran, reasserting that because of the military campaign, “They’ve got no navy. They’ve got no anything.”
However, Trump said the war in Iran is a “stark reminder” of the stakes of the 2026 midterm elections, saying that if Democrats had won in 2024, the U.S. would be a “nation in terminal decline.”
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced ahead of Trump’s remarks that the NRCC was awarding the president with the first “America First” award in the organization’s history, an honor it plans to issue annually moving forward.
IRAN HOLDS STRAIT OF HORMUZ HOSTAGE WITH $2 MILLION TOLL
NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) announced Wednesday evening that the annual fundraiser raised a record-breaking $36.8 million. The dinner last year raised $35 million.
“Tonight, President Trump and the NRCC didn’t just meet expectations; we shattered them,” Hudson said in a statement. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and the unmatched commitment of our supporters, the NRCC raised a record-breaking $36.8 million to fuel our Patriots and MAGA Majority candidates. This proves what we’ve been saying all along: Republicans have the momentum, the message, and the team to defy history. With President Trump leading the charge, we’re going on offense.”
