Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei stated Monday that Iran has no negotiations with the United States, but that messages are being exchanged via mediators. He added that Tehran is currently focused on talks with Oman to regulate the shipping route, according to N12 journalist Sapir Lipkin.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei reiterated Monday morning that Tehran has no direct negotiations with the United States, while confirming that messages are being exchanged via mediators. In a statement reported by N12 journalist Sapir Lipkin, Baqaei said Iran's current focus is on talks with Oman to regulate the shipping route. The remarks come a day after Iran's National Security Council issued a sweeping list of conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including a full withdrawal of US forces from the region and the lifting of all sanctions.
The thread of developments on Sunday, Aug 9, at 16:35 Jerusalem, began with the National Security Council's statement. An IRGC source later added a demand for war reparations, and oil futures rose 1.2% in response. Earlier that same day, at 13:17 Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had told reporters that message exchanges via mediators are taking place but that this does not constitute negotiations. The thread thus shows a consistent Iranian public posture: denying direct talks while acknowledging indirect communication, and now layering in a specific focus on the Oman shipping track.
As The Zioneer has reported, Baqaei and Araghchi have repeatedly denied direct US negotiations while acknowledging indirect channels through Qatari and Pakistani mediators. Baqaei previously stated on Aug 3 that the Oman talks are bilateral discussions on a safe shipping lane, separate from any US engagement. This compartmentalized approach appears to be a deliberate strategy by Tehran to manage public expectations while maintaining diplomatic flexibility.
It remains unclear whether the Oman talks are truly independent of the US-Iran track or whether they serve as a backchannel for broader discussions. The United States has not publicly commented on the Oman shipping route initiative. The simultaneous hardening of conditions on Sunday and the continued message exchanges suggest a dual-track approach where public posturing does not preclude behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
7 developments
- StrongFars: Iran says Hormuz talks only with Oman, no direct US negotiations
- DevelopingIran: No talks with US until Washington retreats, citing Hormuz dispute as core issue
- StrongIran says final agreement talks to start in coming days, Hormuz closure denied
- StrongOmani mediators optimistic for Strait of Hormuz breakthrough in coming days, Bloomberg reports
Source and signal
- Open-source intake