Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X/Twitter on Monday evening that his last contact with US envoy Steve Witkoff occurred before the war began.
"Any claim to the contrary appears geared solely to mislead oil traders and the public," Araghchi wrote.
Araghchi's post followed an Axios report published earlier on Monday, which cited a US official and a source with knowledge of the matter as saying that a direct communications channel between Witkoff and Araghchi had been reactivated in recent days.
Confusion surrounded who may have instigated reported communication
Axios said it was not clear how substantive the messages passed between Araghchi and Witkoff had been, adding it was the first known direct communication between the parties since the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran.
Axios cited its sources as saying Araghchi had sent text messages to Witkoff. It reported the US official said Washington was "not talking" to Tehran.
The Drop Site News outlet had earlier reported that Witkoff sent messages to Araghchi. It quoted Iranian officials as saying the minister was ignoring Witkoff's messages.