MAGA Rep. James Comer was confronted on air about Iran’s claim that there had been no talks between the U.S. and the Middle East country after President Donald Trump pulled out of his threats on Tehran.
Trump had warned Iran that he would “obliterate” the country’s power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz was reopened by the end of an arbitrary 48-hour deadline that was set to expire Monday evening.
But in a typically unhinged, all-caps Truth Social post, Trump announced he was suspending plans to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure for five days following “THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS.”
However, Iranian state television cited a government source who said there had been no “direct or indirect contact” with Trump. The source suggested the president had backed down in order to “buy time for the implementation of his military plans.”
During an appearance on Fox Business’ Mornings With Maria Bartiromo, Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, was asked about the Iranian government’s claim, with the Kentucky Republican sticking to Trump’s version of events.
“Well, I believe there are talks happening. That’s the memo that I’ve received. I don’t know how trustworthy Iranian state TV is. It’s probably like a couple of liberal networks that come to my mind,” Comer said.
“But at the end of the day, I think that the president’s being cautious. I don’t think anyone wants to see much more damage to Iran unless they refuse to make peace here and put a halt to their quest to have a nuclear weapon,” Comer added. “That’s not acceptable. I don’t think anyone in the world would agree that that’s acceptable. That’s a country that does not need nuclear capabilities.”
Trump’s deranged threat on Friday that the U.S. would “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants unless the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping route reopened would have marked a major escalation in a conflict the president has repeatedly claimed will end soon.
The closure of the narrow passage between Iran and Oman has triggered a global oil crisis, including rising fuel prices in the U.S. In response to Trump’s threat, Iran warned it could retaliate by targeting energy infrastructure across the Middle East.
Iran’s Fars news agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, quoted an unnamed source denying that any talks between Tehran and Washington had taken place. The source suggested Trump had “retreated” from his deadline after “hearing that our targets would be all power plants in West Asia.”
The Iranian Embassy in Kabul also posted on X: “After the Islamic Republic threatened that in the event of any U.S. attack on Iran’s energy infrastructure, it would target the energy infrastructure of the entire region, Trump backed down and stated that he had issued an order to postpone the attack.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
