TEHRAN — U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday voiced optimism at the prospects for a negotiated peace deal with Iran, as the two sides held their fire for a third consecutive day. Fighting between the longtime foes has been paused since Friday after 13 nights of renewed US strikes on the Islamic republic sparked by a breakdown in diplomacy over Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. But the US leader expressed hope that renewed diplomacy could bring an end to the war that began in late February with a wave of US-Israeli strikes, rattling both the region and the global economy. “I have a lot of patience… We’ll see what happens,” he said aboard Air Force One. “I think there is a good chance that something could happen.” Tehran had earlier denied that there were any talks with the US to end the conflict. “Mediators may convey messages from the American side to us regarding current developments in the region. But at present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the United States,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei. But Trump insisted during a speech in Michig
