Iran has not closed the window of diplomacy and messages are still being passed to the United States through intermediaries, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said over the weekend, according to the Associated Press. State media said Baghaei made the remarks in an interview with a German broadcaster, and the Iraqi News Agency also reported his comments.
Source: Associated Press via LA Post
Baghaei said negotiations over the war have appeared stalled for weeks and that Washington appears to be persisting in unilateral demands. He said President Donald Trump and other US officials repeatedly use the phrase “complete surrender,” which, he said, no Iranian accepts. His remarks support the existence of an indirect channel; they do not show that formal negotiations have resumed or that any agreement is close.
Asked on Sunday whether he planned to attack Iran, Trump first suggested he would be foolish to telegraph such a move, then added: “No. There will not be a strike today.” The statement was limited to that day and did not rule out later military action, the AP reported.
Source: Associated Press via KXLY
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, repeated his warning on Sunday that Iran or its proxies could launch an attack before Israel's election on Tuesday, citing intelligence. “The (military) is ready both to defend and to strike,” he said in a video statement, warning of “disproportionate blows.” These are the Israeli government's claims, presented as its stated position.
Source: Associated Press via LA Post
Israel's Channel 12 reported on Sunday night that Netanyahu and his military chief of staff had clashed over an instruction for an “action” the army believed could quickly restart the conflict with Iran. Netanyahu called the report nonsense, and Defence Minister Israel Katz said on X that reports of rifts between the political leadership and the military over Iran were “completely baseless and false,” adding that Israel had no intention of initiating an attack on Iran before the elections but would respond with great force if attacked.
Asked on Monday whether Iran was planning attacks, Baghaei said only that “the Israeli regime is highly skilled at carrying out false-flag operations,” and that Iran would not hesitate to exercise what he called its inherent right to self-defence. The exchange comes as delegations from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey were in Tehran on Monday for talks aimed at averting renewed fighting — a separate meeting Awaaz Punjab has covered in its Tehran talks report.