Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, has said that communications between the United States and Iran are now "more robust" than at any previous point, even as Tehran has denied that any backchannel exists between Trump and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His comments come amid ongoing efforts to secure a nuclear deal with Iran and follow a period of heightened tension, including a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz and Trump's earlier call for Iran to raise a "white flag of surrender" after talks missed a deadline.

Kushner made the remarks in an interview with Fox News' Trey Yingst on Monday, following a series of meetings across the Middle East focused on the future of Gaza and Iran. He stressed that Trump remains committed to pursuing progress with Iran and suggested a breakthrough could come relatively soon, though Iranian officials have publicly rejected the characterisation of direct high-level contact with Washington.