Iran Spokesman Baghaei: Viewpoints 'Getting Closer' — Needs '3–4 More Days'; Disputes Trump's Hormuz Control Framing — Day 86

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on May 24, 2026 (Day 86) that the US and Iranian positions are 'getting closer' but cautioned it would take 'three to four days' to see what happens — explicitly rejecting any suggestion of imminent announcement. Baghaei's carefully measured optimism stands in contrast to Trump's May 23 'largely negotiated' declaration, reflecting Iran's strategy of managing expectations publicly while engaging seriously in back-channels. On the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media contradicted Trump's framing that Iran 'would no longer control access' to the strait — Iranian spokespeople called that characterization 'inconsistent with reality,' insisting Tehran would continue to manage Hormuz sovereignty and that any deal would involve coordinated rather than unilateral navigation arrangements. Foreign Minister Araghchi held calls on May 24 with counterparts in Oman, Turkey, Qatar, Iraq, and UN Secretary-General Guterres, describing Tehran as actively engaged despite what he called Washington's 'repeated excessive demands.' Araghchi's diplomatic outreach to Gulf neighbors and the UN simultaneously with the US-Iran back-channel talks reflects Iran's parallel strategy of securing international legitimacy for any final framework.