Iran has signalled it will "reassess" ongoing peace negotiations with the United States following the latest round of American military strikes, with the country's Foreign Ministry spokesman warning that diplomatic progress cannot be separated from conditions on the ground.
Ismail Baghaei, spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Tehran would review the status of negotiations in light of the overnight military exchanges, according to Iran's International Student News Agency (ISNA).
Responding to a question about the latest state of talks, Baghaei said: "Given the developments that took place last night, we must review it."
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The spokesman said the diplomatic process could not function in isolation, warning that a minimum atmosphere of engagement was necessary to advance any negotiation.
"Unfortunately, the United States is hurting this process by sending contradictory messages, repeatedly changing positions and demands, as well as a successive violation of the ceasefire," he said, per ISNA.
Baghaei also pointed to Israel's actions as a further complicating factor, saying the Israeli government was harming diplomatic efforts through repeated ceasefire violations in Lebanon. He emphasised that any diplomatic process would be disrupted if used as cover for coercive or illegal actions.
On Iran's defence posture, the spokesman reiterated that diplomacy and military action were not separate instruments. "What happened last night showed that Iran's brave armed forces do not hesitate to defend the country and will respond to the enemy with authority wherever necessary," he said.
He added that Iran's government pillars were fully coordinated on both the diplomatic and military fronts, deploying each as circumstances required.
The remarks came after a significant escalation overnight in which the IRGC launched drone and ballistic missile strikes against US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, in retaliation for US strikes on Iranian air defence systems, radar sites, and ground control stations near the Strait of Hormuz.
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The IRGC separately claimed to have struck F-35 hangars and a command and control centre at a US airbase in eastern Jordan, and said it had downed a US MQ-9 drone over the town of Jam.
The US strikes were themselves triggered by Iran's downing of a US Army Apache helicopter near the coast of Oman on Monday.
Peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran had been described by Trump as being in their "final throes" just days before the latest exchanges, with a deal said to be possible within two to three days.
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