Baghaei: No negotiations with US at this time; Hormuz shipping route talks with Oman are temporary

Tehran - BORNA - Esmail Baghaei opened his weekly press briefing on Monday by commemorating the Arbaeen pilgrimage, noting that this year's occasion was different for Iranians as the first pilgrim was the martyred leader, who embodied the example of Imam Hussein.

Baghaei said the US once again sent its "aid" to Iran, this time targeting a taxi driver in Qeshm along with his wife and two-year-old child. A bomb weighing over 1,000 kilograms struck their home, leaving two teenagers orphaned. "Now all Iranian mothers and fathers are the parents of these two children," he said.

The spokesman also noted that US crimes extended to Iraq last week, where several Iranian citizens were martyred in a US airstrike with its allies. He also honored Nima Moradi, a 23-year-old Iranian taekwondo athlete and the son of a former prisoner of war, who was martyred in the cowardly Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel.

Hormuz shipping route talks with Oman are temporary

Baghaei said that over the past seven to eight days, talks with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz have continued seriously. In recent days, Iran's Foreign Minister has also been in contact with counterparts in the region and beyond to prevent further insecurity and secure Iran's interests.

Asked about consultations with mediators on reviving the memorandum of understanding and Iran's conditions, Baghaei said: "We are not negotiating with the US at this time. Our talks are with Oman, focused on reaching an understanding on a safe shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. We are trying at the earliest opportunity, in consultation and cooperation with Oman, to determine a temporary route to ensure safe passage. These are bilateral talks between the two littoral states. Others can appear constructively or destructively, but the matter concerns Iran and Oman."

Baghaei said that an agreement on a safe shipping route is a necessary but not sufficient condition for reopening the strait. The strait was closed not because of disagreements between Iran and Oman, but due to US and Zionist regime military aggression. "As long as US aggression and the naval blockade continue, no significant change will occur in the strait's situation."

Iran's deterrence, not regional efforts, stopped US aggression

Asked whether Saudi efforts or Iran's decisive response prevented the US attack, Baghaei said: "It is good that regional countries consider themselves part of the region's future, but the war is not just against Iran — it is against the security of the entire region. US military presence and its use of southern Gulf countries' territory has intensified insecurity for the entire region. It is natural that regional countries want to prevent escalation, and we appreciate those efforts. But experience has proven that what stops the enemy is nothing but Iran's strength and deterrence."

All Iranian negotiators are in Iran

Baghaei dismissed Trump's claims about negotiations starting today, saying: "Mr. Araghchi is traveling for the Arbaeen pilgrimage today, and all our negotiators are in Iran."

No new mediator added

Responding to reports of Chinese mediation, Baghaei said: "Pakistan is the mediator in Iran-US matters, with Qatar assisting when needed. We have close relations with China, and China shares our concern about US destructive unilateralism and regional insecurity. Chinese friends are using their good offices to prevent escalation, but we have not added a new mediator."

Responding to criticism that he speaks more like a military spokesman than a diplomatic one, Baghaei said: "The spokesman is in a wartime situation and cannot ignore the realities of war. The positions I express are not my personal views but the positions of the Foreign Ministry. The Foreign Ministry is not allowed to adopt positions that harm national interests for the sake of pleasing any faction. We must act based on national interests."

Regional people increasingly oppose US presence

Baghaei said there are many cases of people, figures, and elites in regional countries expressing opposition to US military presence. "People know this is a war against a Muslim country and its consequences. They know Iran has no hostility toward regional countries and seeks peaceful coexistence with all neighbors. The people increasingly demand their governments end US presence and prevent the exploitation of their sovereignty."

Yemen's actions are not Iran's responsibility

Baghaei dismissed attempts to link Yemeni operations to Iran, saying: "Five months is not long enough to forget. On February 28, we faced US and Zionist regime aggression. Did we open a new front? From day one, the aggressors used regional countries' territory and facilities against Iran. Did we expand the fronts? The issue of Yemen concerns the Yemenis. We have said the solution must come through dialogue."

He stressed: "The responsibility for everything happening in the region and beyond rests solely with the US as the initiator of this military aggression, and with all those who chose to act as accomplices to the aggressors."

Further details to follow.