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Sunday, October 25, 2026
Iran says messages are still being passed to the US amid war concerns
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As concerns rise about a return to an all-out US-Iran war ahead of elections in the United States and Israel, Iran says messages are still being passed to the US and that Tehran remains open to diplomacy.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, says Tehran has not closed the window of diplomacy, and messages are being passed to the US via intermediaries. Negotiations over the war have appeared to stall for weeks.
State media says Baghaei spoke in an interview with a German broadcaster. He said the US appears to persist in making unilateral demands and that Trump and US officials repeatedly use the phrase “complete surrender,” which Baghaei said no Iranian accepts.
Concerns are rising among Iranians about a possible return to all-out war as Israel and the US face elections in the coming days. Israel’s election is on Tuesday and US midterm elections are a week later.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.