Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed that Iran and the United States continue to exchange messages, though he stressed that necessary conditions for formal diplomatic negotiations are currently absent. Speaking during an interview with Austria’s ORF television, Baqaei accused Washington of actively undermining diplomatic channels through continued military actions, declaring that Tehran's immediate imperative is safeguarding its sovereignty and national security rather than sitting down at the negotiating table.
Baqaei characterized recent American military operations as the continuation of an illegal war, arguing that Washington’s actions have repeatedly violated previous diplomatic understandings and shattered the trust required for constructive dialogue. He asserted that the United States bears direct responsibility for destroying the baseline conditions for talks by failing to honor its commitments. Turning to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the spokesman affirmed that while Iran has historically upheld its obligations regarding shipping security, it will not permit the strategic maritime corridor to be utilized by foreign forces to threaten Iranian national interests.
Addressing the international framework surrounding the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear agreement, Baqaei placed blame on European signatories for abandoning their obligations following the historical US withdrawal from the deal. He stated that European nations owe a significant political debt to Tehran for failing to preserve economic and diplomatic commitments under the agreement. Baqaei further accused both the United States and Israel of stoking regional volatility, claiming that their coordinated military activities have severely destabilized security across the Middle East.
The diplomatic deadlock follows a sharp intensification of hostilities across the region, where exchange of strikes involved American attacks on Iranian targets and retaliatory Iranian strikes directed at US military infrastructure and assets stationed across regional host nations, including Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The current friction represents a breakdown of the short-lived Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed in mid-June 2026, which aimed to establish a sixty-day negotiating window to end military conflict and restore unhindered commercial transit through the Persian Gulf.
Tensions reached a critical flashpoint on July 8 when US President Donald Trump declared the memorandum of understanding nullified, citing Iranian non-compliance following attacks on commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The fundamental dispute centers on maritime governance, with Washington demanding unrestricted international passage through the waterway while Tehran insists that commercial vessels must navigate designated channels close to its coastline under an Iran-administered regulatory system. Despite two weeks of sustained strikes following the breakdown of the agreement, recent reports indicate that President Trump has instructed the US military to pause further offensive actions against Iranian territory, opening a temporary window as informal communication channels remain active.
