Washington / Tehran

 

Tensions escalated between Iran and the United States following a fresh exchange of missiles after accusations from President Donald Trump alleging that Tehran was behind the downing of an Apache helicopter. 

 

The growing distrust between Tehran and Washington has deepened further, with Iranian officials saying Tehran is now "reviewing" its approach to ongoing negotiations with the United States as there have been five instances

when the already fragile ceasefire was tested.

 

To "narrow or bridge the remaining gaps" in the indirect negotiations with the United States, may be the distrust, a Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran on Wednesday morning for high-level talks with Iranian negotiators , as per the CNN reports.

 

The source said the move followed consultations with Washington and reflects ongoing behind-the-scenes mediation efforts despite the fragile security situation in the region. 

 

Qatar has played a recurring intermediary role in regional diplomacy, particularly in these sensitive negotiations.
The US military confirmed it had carried out strikes against Iranian targets, describing them as a response to the downing of an American Army helicopter. A US official told CNN that Washington does not believe the strikes will derail ongoing diplomatic efforts, though they acknowledged the situation has complicated the environment for talks. 

 

Iran, however, has sharply condemned the attacks and signaled that they are reassessing their participation in negotiations. 

 

Tehran is now "reviewing" its engagement in negotiations with Washington following the latest US strikes, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted as saying by the Iranian Student News Network (SNN). 
Baghaei accused both the United States and Israel of repeatedly undermining the ceasefire through military actions, arguing that diplomacy cannot function under continuous escalation. 

 

"Diplomacy cannot take place in a vacuum," he said, adding that a "minimal environment in which diplomacy can function" is necessary for negotiations to proceed. 

 

He further criticized Washington for sending what he called "contradictory messages," shifting positions, and continuing military operations while talks were still technically ongoing. Israel, he added, had also acted in bad faith through continued strikes in Lebanon. 

 

In response to the latest escalation, Iran said it carried out retaliatory strikes on US-linked targets in the region, while the US military maintained that its own strikes were limited and defensive in nature. 

 

Since the truce was established in April, both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violations, with military operations continuing at a limited but persistent level. 

 

US officials maintain that diplomatic channels remain open and that the strikes are not intended to collapse negotiations. However, Iranian officials argue that continued military pressure undermines the credibility of the US negotiating position. 

 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has also weighed in, arguing that both countries must move beyond what he described as a "neither war nor peace" situation. 

 

He said that Iran's leadership, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has acknowledged the need to resolve the current stalemate and continue negotiations despite ongoing tensions. 

 

According to semi-official Iranian media, Pezeshkian said, "If we want to move beyond this state of neither war nor

peace, what should we do? If we do not engage in dialogue, then what is the alternative?" 

 

He added that authorization had been given to continue talks in order to reach a resolution, even as trust between the two sides remains fragile. 

 

Despite repeated public statements from US President Donald Trump suggesting that a breakthrough with Iran is near, there has been little visible progress in the negotiations. The continued cycle of limited military strikes and indirect diplomacy highlights the unstable nature of the current phase.