Trump Says US Maintains Ongoing Contact With Iran, Denies Reports of Stopped Communication

President Trump stated that contact between the United States and Iran is ongoing and that reports claiming the two sides have stopped speaking are false. He said the United States is continuously talking to Iran today. The statements were posted on X by the accounts @DeItaone and @KobeissiLetter.

Al Jazeera’s White House correspondent Kimberly Halkett reported from Washington on the statement. A separate New York Times report published Monday detailed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s intervention in military promotions. S.

Navy officers who had been under consideration for advancement. Among those removed from the promotion list were two women, two Black men, and three white men. The same report noted that no female officers appeared on the most recent Navy promotion list released in May, even though women make up roughly one-fifth of the active-duty Navy.

Only two non-white officers were included on that list. The New York Times cited four current and former defense officials who described the secretary’s actions as highly unusual. Earlier in 2026, NBC News reported that promotions across multiple military branches had been delayed or blocked due to concerns related to race, gender, or perceived ties to policies from the previous Biden administration.

One official told NBC News that no branch of the military had been untouched by that level of involvement. S. Army officers and two Black Army officers were blocked from advancing to one-star general positions.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell rejected the suggestion that race or gender played any role in promotion decisions. In a post on X he wrote: “They continue to push this worn out narrative because they view almost everything through the lens of race and gender over merit.

” Parnell added: “The Department will never consider the color of a service member’s skin or their gender as a factor in promotions.

He also told the New York Times: “Military promotions are given to those who have earned them. ” Democratic Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, accused Hegseth of turning personnel decisions into part of a broader culture war inside the Department of Defense.

Smith argued that experienced military leaders have been pushed aside and warned that the resulting turmoil could damage morale, stability, and confidence throughout the armed forces.