A senior BBC journalist has slapped down Donald Trump’s “utterly fanciful” claim that peace talks are happening to end the Iran war.

Lyse Ducet, the corporation’s highly-respected senior international correspondent, said suggestions that vice-president JD Vance could have face-to-face negotiations with senior Iranian officials were “just not going to happen”.

Trump claimed on Monday that talks to end the war were underway as he backed down on his threat to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if the Strait of Hormuz remained closed.

However, that has been denied by the Tehran regime.

Speaking on Radio 4′s Today programme on Tuesday, Doucet said: “The only de-escalation, if we can call it that, is that when Donald Trump came back from the dangerous, dangerous brink that he had brought Iran and indeed the world to.

“He de-escalated the situation in the sense that oil prices came down, at least temporarily, stock prices went up, and there’s many accusations now – yet to be proven – of insider trading.

“President Trump came out with these declarations that there were very strong talks taking place. He spoke of a complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East.

“It seems from what we can see, from what we hear, what is happening is far less serious and far less significant.”

Doucet also dismissed suggestions that Vance – a known sceptic about the war – could meet with Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, to thrash out a deal.

“The idea that he would be about to go to Pakistan this weekend and meet face to face with JD Vance is utterly fanciful … that’s just not going to happen,” she said.