Van Hollen accuses Trump of negotiations with Iran: 'He is lying'
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen claimed that President Donald Trump's statements that negotiations with Iranian officials did not reflect the truth. While describing Trump's threats targeting civilian infrastructure as a potential war crime, Van Hollen called for accountability under international law.
Democratic Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen said on Monday that President Donald Trump's statements that he had held talks with Iranian officials were "lies".
Answering the questions of host Kasie Hunt on CNN's “The Arena”, Van Hollen said, “We know that the Iranians talked to us and lied when he said they were about to give Donald Trump everything he wanted. Yes, that's a lie," he said.
Earlier on Monday, Trump announced a five-day break from US attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure after "very good" and "efficient" talks to end the conflict with Iran.
The president also stated on Monday that US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with their Iranian counterparts on Sunday. However, Trump refused to give details about who was met with, citing that he did not want the people in question to be killed.
Speaking to journalists in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said, "As far as I believe, we are dealing with the most respected man and leader."
Trump stated that he has not yet spoken to the new Iranian Religious Leader Mujteba Khamenei, who took office after the death of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on March 8 but has not appeared public since then.
The Axios website reported on Monday that Witkoff and Kushner were in contact with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bakır Galibaf, which he based on an Israeli official.
However, Galibaf denied the allegations that negotiations were held between the parties on Monday. In a post on the X social media platform, Galibaf wrote that "fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the swamp that the US and Israel have fallen into."
While oil prices fell on Monday after the president announced the five-day pause decision, the stock markets increased. Van Hollen, on the other hand, stated that oil and gas prices will continue to rise unless Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu end the war.
Trump's threats to target energy infrastructure described as "war crime"
Regarding the President's threat to target the Iranian power grid, the Democratic Senator described this situation as a potential "war crime" that Trump will "perhapebly" give up after a five-day pause.
Van Hollen said, "There are very narrow conditions where a country can target infrastructure for military purposes; but the President's saying 'If you don't open the Strait of Hormuz, we will blow up all your civilian infrastructure' is clearly a violation of international law."
Continuing his words, Van Hollen said, "Therefore, the President must be held accountable in international courts or in the United States. When people commit war crimes, we need systems to hold them accountable," he said.
In response to presenter Hunt's question about how Trump could be held accountable, Van Hollen replied, "When he leaves office, he may still be open to accountability through the courts, and of course there are international courts."
Van Hollen concluded his words by saying, "I hope Kasie, we don't get to that point."