TEHRAN, Iran: The United States and Iran are exchanging messages through intermediaries as efforts intensify to revive negotiations, although Tehran on Monday says no direct talks are currently underway.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said messages were being exchanged on current issues through mediators but stressed that this did not amount to negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
“Of course, it is natural to exchange messages through mediators on current issues, but what the next step will be depends on the circumstances,” Baqaei said, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.
“Currently, we are focused on negotiations with Oman to determine the shipping route,” he added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had made a similar distinction on Sunday, saying the two sides were not negotiating but were exchanging messages through intermediaries.
“This is not called ‘negotiation’, it’s an ‘exchange of messages’,” Araghchi said.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:
We currently have no negotiations with America. Yes, messages are being exchanged through intermediaries.
This is not called “negotiation,” it’s an “exchange of messages.”
Intermediaries are still trying to create the grounds for… pic.twitter.com/1HfwBEyERd
— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 9, 2026
Pakistan and Qatar are mediating between Tehran and Washington in efforts to revive talks under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) framework to permanently end the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue.
Talks on Hormuz shipping arrangements
Currently, Iran and Oman are holding talks on arrangements for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Baqaei said the discussions were proceeding in a “very smooth and constructive manner”, according to IRNA.
He said an understanding had already been reached on a traffic map, while technical issues related to a joint statement were still being discussed.
Iran, Oman continue talks on safe shipping route through Strait of Hormuz: FM spokespersonhttps://t.co/e1efGUbIu8 pic.twitter.com/pCUqHy6fF3
— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) August 10, 2026
Baqaei said the talks were not currently focused on how any transit fee would be divided between Iran and Oman.
“What is clear is that mechanisms will be created that, in addition to monitoring the safe passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, will provide cooperation on environmental issues, provide maritime services, and combat crime,” he said.
He added that maritime services would normally require compensation.
Baqaei also stressed that the discussions with Oman over a safe shipping route were separate from the broader question of reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
He said the waterway remained insecure because of what Tehran describes as violations by the United States, including an ongoing naval blockade.
Tehran sets conditions for reopening
Iranian officials have said that a safe and lasting reopening of the strategic waterway would require the United States to address what Tehran considers violations of the Islamabad MoU.
Baqaei said the current negotiations with Oman were focused on establishing a safe shipping route and were separate from the issue of reopening the strait.
“The Strait of Hormuz is insecure for other reasons,” he said, adding that resolving the situation would require addressing US actions, including the naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Also Read: Iran Sets Conditions For Reopening Strait Of Hormuz
Araghchi said on Sunday that an agreement between Iran and Oman on the strait was in its “final stages”, but warned that it would not immediately reopen the waterway to shipping.
According to Mehr news agency, Araghchi said the agreement would establish new shipping lanes to be used once the United States fulfilled other conditions and the strait was reopened.
Iran has also demanded compensation for war damage, the lifting of the US naval blockade, an end to sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian assets, according to Tasnim news agency.
Trump describes contacts as ‘semi-negotiating’
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Washington was “semi-negotiating” with Iran, suggesting that contacts between the two sides were continuing through backchannels.
“We are low keying it,” Trump told Axios in a telephone interview. “We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money.”
Trump to Axios: "We are low keying it" with Iran https://t.co/bxCi4pyiQg
— Axios (@axios) August 9, 2026
Trump said Iran was in “very bad shape” economically and claimed the US naval blockade had worsened the country’s economic crisis.
He also said lower oil prices were limiting the impact of the conflict on US consumers.
“It will work out. It always works out. It’s like a chess game,” Trump said.
Baqaei on Monday responded by saying Iranians had shown they were “professional chess players”.
“Lights out or lights on, Iranians showed they are professional chess players,” he said during his weekly press conference.
Baqaei also reiterated that the conditions necessary for declaring the Strait of Hormuz a safe waterway would not exist while the US naval blockade and other alleged violations continued.
Progress made in US-Iran talks
US Vice President JD Vance said on Saturday that negotiations with Iran had made progress in recent days.
“We’re really in the middle of the game here. This thing is not over,” Vance told Fox News.
“I feel quite confident we will get there, and some progress has been made in Iran talks over the last few days,” he said.
.@VP: We’re talking to the Iranians, of course. We’re trying to maximize the amount of oil and gas that is coming out of the Strait of Hormuz. We’re just trying to make sure that we get what we need out of this particular conflict. We’ve destroyed their nuclear program, we’ve… pic.twitter.com/Nqc6KHLL93
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 8, 2026
Vance said the discussions included efforts to maximise oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
He said Washington wanted to ensure that Americans benefited from lower energy prices and expected oil and gas flows through the Gulf to return to pre-conflict levels.
Vance said Iran had indicated that it was prepared to allow such flows. He rejected suggestions that Tehran was seeking to tighten its control over the strait and said discussions were under way with other Gulf states on ensuring safe shipping.
Oil markets watch Hormuz developments
Oil prices were little changed on Monday after earlier gains faded as Iran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz tempered expectations of a swift agreement, Reuters reported.
Brent crude futures stood at $83.54 a barrel, down 1%, by 11:43 a.m. PKT. US West Texas Intermediate crude was down 15 cents, or 0.2%, at $78.03 a barrel.
Both benchmarks had fallen more than 7% the previous week on hopes that Iran and Oman were close to reaching an agreement that could lead to the reopening of the waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy route. It carried about a fifth of the world’s oil before the conflict.
The diplomatic efforts have continued amid repeated incidents involving commercial shipping in the strait.
Pakistan and Qatar intensify mediation
Pakistan and Qatar have intensified diplomatic efforts to create conditions for the resumption of formal negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Iran said on Monday that Pakistan is playing a central role in mediation between Washington and Tehran.
Baqaei said invitations extended by Pakistan to Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to visit Islamabad would be taken up when the time was right.
“The relationship between Iran and Pakistan is a very important one,” he said, describing such visits as a natural part of the close relationship between the two neighbours.
Pakistan has been the principal mediator between Iran and the United States after helping secure a ceasefire on April 8 and hosting high-level talks between the two sides in Islamabad on April 12 and 13.
Under the Islamabad MoU, Iran and the United States committed to halt military operations, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping and negotiate a comprehensive agreement covering Iran’s nuclear programme, US sanctions and a permanent ceasefire within 60 days.
Pakistan and Qatar later co-mediated the first round of high-level talks in Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21. The meeting was attended by Vance and Ghalibaf.
Following the talks, Pakistan and Qatar said significant progress had been made in diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran.
