When Iran�s supreme leader cited on Sept. 18 what he described as US attempts to engage in talks with his country on regional issues, it appeared to be a confirmation of Sept. 14 media reports that Washington had approached Tehran via Oman suggesting that US-Iranian-Russian talks begin to discuss the crisis in Yemen.

The report, first run by Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar and later published by Iran�s semi-official Fars News Agency, quoted an �informed source� as saying that Iran did not welcome the correspondence and had not responded. The same source recalled a similar incident during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, when Great Britain allegedly offered to negotiate but was turned down by then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

A senior Iranian diplomat approached by Al-Monitor about the Sept. 14 reports wholly dismissed them. On Sept. 18, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi reiterated that denial, adding, �The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received no letter whatsoever to engage in talks with third parties over the crisis in Yemen. This claim is completely baseless.�

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This article was written by Ali Hashem for Al-Monitor on Sep. 26, 2016. Ali Hashem is a journalist with a focus on Iran. He is the�former Tehran bureau chief for the Arab news network Al Mayadeen, and a former reporter for Al�Jazeera and the BBC.