TEHRAN – Iran has firmly rejected recent accusations by the U.S. President Donald Trump claiming Tehran interfered in ongoing ceasefire negotiations over Gaza, describing the allegations as "completely unfounded" and politically motivated.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei made the remarks in response to a question from IRNA following Trump’s statements during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday. Speaking after their meeting, Trump accused Iran of inserting itself into the Qatar-hosted ceasefire talks, claiming Tehran was "sending signals and orders" to the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.

Reacting to the claims, Baghaei emphasized that Iran, along with the majority of the international community, unequivocally condemns the ongoing genocide in Gaza and supports any initiative that could end the bloodshed and alleviate the suffering of civilians.

“Hamas negotiators are entirely capable of making independent decisions in the best interests of the people of Gaza,” he said, dismissing suggestions of Iranian influence as "utterly baseless."

Baghaei went on to condemn the accusations as a political ploy aimed at deflecting attention from Washington's own role in the crisis. “These claims are designed to distract from the U.S. government’s clear complicity in the Israeli regime’s atrocities against the Palestinian people,” he said.

He highlighted the Israeli military’s widespread destruction in Gaza, including the killing of over 60,000 civilians—many of them women and children—the intensification of the blockade, the systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid, and the killing of starving civilians at so-called aid distribution points operated by a U.S. company.

The spokesman called on U.S. officials to take tangible steps toward a permanent ceasefire by halting arms shipments to Israel, pressuring Tel Aviv to end the genocide, and ensuring the free and safe flow of humanitarian aid through international mechanisms.

Gaza is currently enduring what experts describe as the worst humanitarian disaster in its history, with famine spreading rapidly amid relentless Israeli bombardment.

As of March 2, 2025, all border crossings into the enclave have been closed by Israeli forces, and the entry of food and medical supplies has been effectively blocked. The resulting humanitarian collapse has led to the deaths of at least 134 Palestinians—88 of them children—from starvation and malnutrition since the war began in October 2023.

The latest figures indicate that at least 59,921 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli assault so far, with over 145,000 more injured, most of them women and children.