Akshay DidwaniyaA White House official says the US military’s Central Command and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps have opened and are actively using a direct crisis communication channel. Iran’s foreign ministry, however, denies any military-to-military link exists between the two countries.
An unnamed White House official says a crisis communication channel between Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the US Central Command is now open. Both sides are reportedly using it, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The communication channel between the US and Iran became a subject of contradicting claims on Tuesday. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghaei confirmed that Iran and the US did establish a political communication channel. This came after talks held in Switzerland. However, Baghaei firmly stated that no military-to-military communication channel between the two nations exists.
The White House painted a different picture entirely. “In an attempt to ease tensions, the US took steps to create a crisis communication channel between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the US Central Command,” the publication reported. “A White House spokesperson stated that the channel for conflict resolution is open and both sides are using it,” it added.
The Switzerland talks took place at Bürgenstock on June 21. Pakistan and Qatar served as intermediary nations during the negotiations. Iran’s delegation left Switzerland on the morning of June 22, heading back to Tehran. At that time, Baghaei noted that the Iran-US talks in Switzerland had shown meaningful progress.
The contrasting claims from Washington and Tehran highlight how delicate the situation remains. Despite a political communication channel emerging from the Switzerland talks, the question of whether the US and Iran have a working military communication channel stays unresolved. The ongoing dispute reflects the deep trust gap between the two countries.
Mayur Mohta
Aditya Didwaniya
