Mike Baker

That, of course, would be welcome news, but the signals coming out of Tehran tell a different story.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Begai, made clear that diplomacy is not a given, saying Tehran will only engage when what he called the, quote, necessary and logical grounds are in place.

And notably, he framed Iran's recent actions, including attacks like the ones we're seeing now in the Strait of Hormuz, as part of its, quote, legitimate defense.

And not to put too fine a point on it, but the foreign ministry doesn't exactly appear to be in sync with the IRGC and hardliners within the regime.

Iran hasn't even formally agreed to the ceasefire extension that President Trump announced.

State media in Tehran says no official response has been issued, and reports suggesting Iran had signed on were quickly dismissed.

So, despite the talk of negotiations potentially restarting, there is no clear indication that both sides are even operating under the same assumptions right now.

In fact, it seems clear that they are not.

which leaves us in a familiar place.

Washington says talks could be just days away.

Tehran says it will engage on its own terms, if at all.

And in the meantime, the situation on the ground, or in this case, in the straight, continues to escalate.

Coming up next, Washington freezes hundreds of millions in cash headed to Iraq, turning U.S.

control of the country's oil money into leverage against Iran-backed militias targeting U.S.

interests in Iraq.

I'll be right back.

Hey, Mike Baker here.

Now, whether you're in a one or a two income household, right?

If you're a breadwinner, well, you're carrying a lot of responsibility.

You know that.