Iran denies holding talks with US

The Iranian forces attacked a US airbase in Jordan, housing F-35 and F-15 fighter jets. Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament stated that Tehran did not hold talks with Washington, and that fake news is being used as an attempt to influence the energy market. A representative of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, in turn, clarified that the country did not negotiate with the US, but received messages through intermediaries expressing a desire to resolve the conflict. The American side was also warned of the grave consequences of any attacks on critical infrastructure and of its readiness to give a decisive response. He emphasized that Tehran's position on the Strait of Hormuz and the conditions for ending the conflict has not changed.

Earlier, Trump stated that the US and Iran had held very positive and productive talks over the past two days and noted that he had instructed the Pentagon to delay strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure for five days.

Following these remarks by the US President, according to Bloomberg, Brent crude futures fell 14%. A barrel is currently trading at $97. Before the Iran conflict, oil was trading at $73 per barrel. The EU today decided to hold an emergency gas meeting on March 26 to analyze the potential impact of the conflict in the Middle East on energy security. Gas prices on the European market have now reached $730 per thousand cubic meters.