In comments on Wednesday about Iran-US negotiations in light of the recent US attacks against Iran, Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran would need to assess developments following the events that took place overnight.

He stated that diplomacy does not take place in a vacuum and that any negotiation or diplomatic process requires at least a minimum level of conditions and stability to move forward.

Baqaei said that, unfortunately, the US has been damaging the process through contradictory messaging, frequent shifts in its positions and demands, and repeated violations of ceasefires.

The spokesman also said the Israeli regime’s repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon have harmed diplomatic efforts, adding that any diplomatic process suffers when force and unlawful actions are employed.

Commenting on the previous night’s attacks by the US, Baqaei said diplomacy and developments on the ground are not separate matters and together constitute tools for safeguarding Iran’s national interests and security.

He stated that wherever necessary, Iran’s Armed Forces would respond to the enemy with authority. He noted that the developments overnight demonstrated that Iran’s Armed Forces do not hesitate in defending the country.

The spokesman also stressed that state institutions remain fully coordinated in the diplomatic sphere and that Iran would use diplomacy wherever necessary and military capabilities wherever required to defend the country.

His comments came after Iran launched missile and drone strikes against US targets in the region on Wednesday morning in response to acts of aggression by the United States.

In a statement, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters announced that the operations were conducted in response to attacks by the “US terrorist army” on areas in southern Iran under the false pretext of the downing of an American helicopter.

The statement said several US bases in the region were targeted in a “powerful attack” carried out jointly by the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

The headquarters further warned that any repetition of aggression against Iran would be met with more severe and broader strikes against designated targets across the region.

The US had carried out attacks hours earlier against several locations in southern Iran, including Qeshm, Jask, Sirik, and Bandar Abbas, citing the reported downing of a US helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz as justification.