Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed on 27 July that the United States and Iran are continuing to exchange messages through third-party mediators, including Pakistan and Qatar, according to Iranian media reports citing his remarks in an interview with Austrian broadcaster ORF. The disclosure comes as the fate of a landmark diplomatic framework between the two nations remains deeply uncertain.

Iran's Conditions for Dialogue

Baghaei stressed that any meaningful dialogue requires the “proper ground” to be established first — ground he said Washington has itself undermined. He accused the United States of violating “all its provisions” under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on 18 June, which had set a 60-day window for the two sides to negotiate a final agreement.

The spokesman said Iran's immediate priority “is to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and protect its people against the war crimes that are being perpetrated by the United States.” The framing signals that Tehran views the current phase as one of active hostility, not diplomacy.

Trump's Position: Talks Yes, Nuclear Weapon Never

US President Donald Trump, speaking at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, offered a notably different characterisation of the state of play. “They are talking to us right now. They’d love to make a deal,” Trump said, while adding, “I don’t think they’re ready to. I don’t think it’s time yet. But I’m willing to listen.”

Trump was unequivocal on the nuclear question. “They cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he said, adding, “We don’t want to see Washington D.C. or any of our cities or Israel or, frankly, the Middle East destroyed with a nuclear weapon. And they would use it if they had it.” He described preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear capability as the central objective of US foreign policy toward Tehran.

Trump's Military Claims Draw Scrutiny

Trump also claimed that recent US military action had “significantly degraded” Iran's military capabilities, asserting that Iran's navy and air force were “gone” and that the country had lost 250 jets, 159 boats, radar systems, and much of its drone capability. “They don’t have much left,” he said. Notably, Trump offered no supporting evidence for these figures during his remarks, and the claims have not been independently verified.

The MoU and What Hangs in the Balance

The 18 June MoU had charted a structured path toward a final agreement, with talks to be concluded within 60 days. However, renewed tensions over the past two weeks have thrown that timeline into doubt. The use of Pakistan and Qatar as back-channel intermediaries suggests both sides are maintaining a thread of communication even as public positions harden. This is consistent with a pattern seen in earlier phases of Iran-US diplomacy, where indirect channels have often outlasted formal frameworks.

With the 60-day window narrowing and both sides publicly staking out firm positions, the next few weeks will be critical in determining whether the MoU survives as a viable diplomatic instrument or becomes another casualty of US-Iran mistrust.