Yesterday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei shot down—as one media report put it—Trump’s repeated assertion that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are making progress. According to Tasnim, Baqaei reiterated that Iran’s position has been consistent from the start, rejecting excessive and unreasonable demands conveyed through intermediaries. He stated that Iran has had no direct negotiations with the United States to date. What has been discussed were messages received through intermediaries indicating a U.S. desire for talks, he explained, cautioning that whenever the U.S. speaks of diplomacy, this should raise suspicions. Although it was positive that regional countries are concerned with ending the war, he insisted that the aggressor must be recognized and that Iran should not be expected to exercise restraint unilaterally, highlighting that Iran was the attacked, not the initiator.