#US-IranTalks
US President Donald Trump's dramatic description of "very strong talks" with Iran suggested the door to diplomacy has been flung open for what he said could be "a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East".
But Iran almost immediately denied that talks had begun - and so far, there are only signs of small windows being opened - by a crack.
One is the same window that was shattered during previous rounds of diplomacy, in February and in June last year, by US-backed Israeli attacks on Iran which destroyed the little trust that existed.
There's said to be some communication between the two lead negotiators in previous discussions - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff. But these conversations are described as very preliminary.
And Tehran now sees the Witkoff track as subterfuge.
"The statements of the US president are part of efforts to reduce energy prices and buy time for the implementation of his military plans," was the retort of Iran's foreign ministry.
It's a sentiment shared by other observers too, who see a US commander-in-chief under mounting pressure to lower oil prices, lift stocks, and project progress in ending this perilous conflagration causing economic shock the world over - including in America.