Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghaei says exchanges of messages with the US continue via intermediaries

Indirect messaging through intermediaries is the standard operating pattern for US-Iran contact, and it has historically signaled a period of managed tension rather than either escalation or resolution; backchannels of this kind have run for years through regional and European conduits regardless of the state of formal relations. The notable element is confirmation from the Iranian side, which in past episodes has tended to indicate that Tehran wants the channel visible for domestic or signaling purposes, since acknowledgements of this sort are selective rather than routine. The market channel that matters is crude risk premium: headline traffic of this kind has typically trimmed some of the geopolitical bid in front-month oil and freight and insurance costs, though precedent shows the premium rebuilds quickly if talks stall or if parallel flashpoints (nuclear activity, shipping incidents, proxy actions) continue. The relevant distinction is between contact about de-escalation and contact about a broader diplomatic track, the former being transient for pricing, the latter carrying implications for sanctions and Iranian supply. Worth watching is whether US officials confirm and characterize the channel, and whether any intermediary government is named, both of which would indicate substance beyond routine message-passing.