Baghaei Denies Any New Mediator in Iran US Relations

Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, said today, Monday, 26 Mordad 1405 (August 17, 2026), that countries such as Pakistan and Qatar are playing a role in matters tied to Iran US relations, and some European countries have also offered their good offices in bilateral contacts, but that none of this amounts to the formation or acceptance of a new mediator in the Iran US relationship. According to Ecoiran, he stressed that the core challenge between Iran and the United States is not mediation, but the US administration's outlook and its insistence on approaches that have repeatedly failed in the past.

Baghaei added that Washington's insistence on retesting past, ineffective paths would not produce a different result for the United States than previous experience has shown.