Tehran: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has confirmed that messages are being exchanged between Iran and the United States, facilitated by Qatar and Pakistan.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Araqchi clarified during a press conference that while these mediators are actively communicating, there has been no decision made by Iran to resume direct negotiations with the United States.

Araqchi explained, “The mediators, Qatar and Pakistan, are exchanging messages and communicating with us, but this does not mean we are entering into negotiations. We have not yet made a decision to resume negotiations with the United States.” He further elaborated on past agreements, stating that the end of the war was declared in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which the United States later violated, leading to the resumption of conflict. “We did not have anything called a ceasefire that now needs to be extended; rather, we had an end to the war.”

In discussing Iran’s ongoing negotiations with Oman, Araqchi described them as a separate technical discussion concerning maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz. “The previous routes are no longer usable, and new routes must be determined,” he emphasized. This process involves designing a temporary route that will eventually become permanent, and it is being managed by experts and the armed forces from both countries.

Araqchi also mentioned that while a conclusion on the maritime routes might be reached soon, these negotiations are entirely distinct from the issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz. He added that the resumption of navigation in the Strait depends on other conditions that the United States must fulfill.