When asked by Al Jazeera about Trump’s earlier suggestion that the US would have “some sort of a relationship” with Iran in the future, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei dismissed months of “contradictory remarks” from the US.

“While they [US officials] have been talking about diplomacy, they greenlighted the Israelis to attack Iran,” said Baqaei, asking how that could allow “any trust” to remain.

“They (the US) torpedoed diplomacy,” he went on.

While Baqaei said Iran believes “diplomacy never ends” and even engaged with “different actors” amid the war with Israel, he stressed that the country’s top priority is national security and would have to ascertain whether the US is “really serious” about diplomacy before re-engaging.

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

OFFICIAL post-budget media briefings in Pakistan are carefully choreographed affairs, full of reassuring phrases ...
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...