TEHRAN, Iran, Aug. 3 (ANI): Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Monday that Iran is not engaged in any direct or indirect negotiations with the United States, rejecting claims of active diplomatic talks between Tehran and Washington.
According to Al Jazeera, Baghaei told reporters that Iran has no plans to host or send delegations “during these days.”
“We are not going to host a delegation or be guests of a country during these days,” Baghaei said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that Baghaei said Iran’s current diplomatic engagement is limited to bilateral discussions with neighboring Oman on establishing a temporary safe shipping route through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Baghaei said the talks with Oman are focused solely on maritime traffic management. While an understanding with Muscat on a temporary shipping lane is a technical prerequisite for safe navigation, he said such an agreement alone would not lead to the full reopening of the vital waterway.
He maintained that the continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz is the result of U.S. military operations and the U.S. naval blockade against Iran initiated earlier this year.
Baghaei said that as long as Washington maintains its military presence and what he described as an aggressive posture, no broader change in the status of the waterway can occur. He added that any future engagement between Tehran and Washington would be considered only as regional conditions evolve.
“We do not have any negotiations with the United States at the moment. Negotiations are with Oman, focused on reaching an understanding on a route that would ensure the safe passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Baghaei said. “Therefore, these negotiations are bilateral between two coastal governments… What happens next must be decided upon.”
Commenting on broader regional tensions, Baghaei said the military confrontation involving the United States affects the security and future of the entire region. He argued that the deployment of U.S. forces and the use of military facilities along the southern shores of the Persian Gulf have increased instability for neighboring countries.
He added that it is “natural for regional countries to want to make efforts to prevent this situation from escalating.”
“The fact that all countries in the region consider themselves stakeholders in the situation of the region, in the future of the region, and in whatever the region might face, is a positive thing. America’s war against the Islamic Republic of Iran is not just a war against one country; it is a war against the entire region and against the security of all countries in the region,” Baghaei said.
While acknowledging diplomatic efforts by regional governments to reduce tensions, Baghaei said Iran ultimately relies on its own military capabilities for security.
“We value these efforts, but experience has shown us that what can ultimately deter the enemy from escalating its malice against Iran is nothing but Iran’s authority and deterrent power,” he said.
Baghaei’s comments came after President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran, expected to take place through intermediaries, were scheduled to begin Monday.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said diplomatic channels remained active and that discussions involving Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iran had led him to cancel what he described as a planned “massive attack” on Friday. (ANI)
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