[Breaking] Iran "Exchanging Messages with U.S.... Defending Sovereignty Is Top Priority"... Future of Follow-up Negotiations 'Unclear'

The Iranian government has officially confirmed that it continues to exchange diplomatic messages with the United States. However, rather than immediately resuming negotiations, it has stated that its top priority is to defend its sovereignty and territory in response to U.S. military actions.

Diplomatic Channels Maintained... "Hostilities Have Not Ended" In an interview with Austria's public broadcaster ORF, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei responded to the question of whether diplomatic channels between the U.S. and Iran are being maintained, saying, "It is true that messages are being exchanged with the U.S. side."

Spokesperson Baghaei emphasized, "Iran's top priority right now is to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and to protect its people from the war crimes being committed by the United States." He pointed out that while appropriate conditions must be created for dialogue, the U.S. has undermined that foundation.

He also pushed back against the assessment that the recent pause in attacks signals the end of military conflict. He argued that the current military situation is an extension of the war that began on February 28, and that a temporary halt in attacks alone cannot be considered the end of hostilities. In this regard, China's Xinhua News Agency also reported on the 26th, citing Iranian media, that the U.S. and Iran are exchanging messages through mediator countries such as Pakistan and Qatar.

Memorandum of Understanding Signed on June 18... Dispute over 'Article 5' Implementation Spokesperson Baghaei criticized the U.S. for failing to fulfill its obligations on various grounds, even though Iran participated in the negotiation process in good faith and reached a memorandum of understanding to end the war on all fronts.

The two sides signed the MOU on June 18 and agreed to hold negotiations for a final agreement within 60 days. However, with recent military clashes intensifying once again, the direction of follow-up negotiations has become uncertain.

In particular, Article 5 of the MOU included a '30-day implementation period' to restore the navigation of commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels. A previously disclosed draft of the informal agreement also stipulated that Iran would restore commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz within one month, while the U.S. would withdraw its forces from around Iran and lift the maritime blockade.

Spokesperson Baghaei criticized that Iran had fully implemented its obligation to ensure the safe passage of vessels, but the U.S. carried out a large-scale military attack citing assaults on commercial ships occurring in the Iranian strait on the 21st or 22nd day after the agreement was signed. However, the two sides' claims remain at odds over responsibility for the ship attacks and compliance with the MOU.

Mediation by Intermediary Countries and Future Outlook Recently, the U.S. and Iran halted attacks for two consecutive days. The U.S. side reportedly conveyed its position that it paused the attacks to give room for negotiations. Mediator countries, including Oman, are also continuing contacts to bring both sides back to the negotiating table.

However, despite the temporary pause in military action and the exchange of diplomatic messages, core disagreements over the management of vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the maritime blockade, and responsibility for implementing the MOU remain unresolved, suggesting that significant difficulties lie ahead before the full-scale resumption of negotiations.

[This article was written with the assistance of AI.]