Iran says it continues exchanging messages with US, but conditions for talks are absent

Iran continues exchanging messages with the United States, but conditions for negotiations are currently absent, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Sunday, accusing Washington of undermining diplomacy through its military actions.

In an interview with Austria’s ORF television, Baqaei said Iran’s immediate priority is defending its sovereignty rather than engaging in negotiations.

“We are exchanging messages, but our priority now is defending Iran’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and people,” he said.

He accused Washington of repeatedly undermining diplomacy, saying US actions had destroyed the conditions necessary for negotiations and violated previous understandings with Tehran.

He described recent US strikes as a continuation of an “illegal war” against Iran, arguing that they reflected Washington’s failure to honor its commitments.

On the Strait of Hormuz, Baqaei said Iran had fulfilled its responsibility to ensure the security of international shipping but would not allow the strategic waterway to become a platform for threatening the country’s national security.

He also blamed the US and Israel for escalating tensions in the region, saying their military actions had destabilized the security situation.