ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday rejected claims by US President Donald Trump saying Washington uses back channels to communicate with its officials.

Earlier in the day, Trump said there is a backchannel for peace talks with the IRGC during a phone interview with Fox News and that US officials are "directly" speaking with IRGC officials, a claim the corps later rejected.

“There are no talks underway between IRGC officials and Americans, and this lie by Trump is merely fantasies caused by delusions and nightmares stemming from his defeat and desperation in the war,” IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said in response.

The official further added that diplomatic engagement is the purview of the Iranian foreign ministry and not the IRGC's responsibility, noting that "no talks are taking place with the Americans in this area either, due to broken promises and the dark experiences of the United States' repeated and constant violations of agreements."

“Trump is trying to temporarily control the price of oil and energy in the world with these statements,” he added.

The US-Israeli war on Iran began in late February, with Washington maintaining that the offensive was intended to eliminate Iran's nuclear capabilities and impose limits on its missile program.

Since then, Iran has closed the vital Strait of Hormuz, where around 20 percent of the world’s oil is transported, sharply driving up oil prices around the world.

On June 18, Washington and Tehran signed a deal, setting a 60-day period for negotiations toward a final peace deal. After 21 days, however, the deal fell apart, with both sides targeting each other’s interests in the region.

Earlier in August, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters that he sees “no possibility” of resuming talks until Washington ends its “violations” of a joint understanding and makes amends.