Tehran, July 20 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday revealed that Washington has recently transmitted messages to Tehran via third-party intermediaries, even as heavy fighting persists between the two factions.

Addressing a news conference in Tehran, the spokesperson confirmed the backchannel communications but refrained from disclosing specifics regarding the diplomatic notes.

"We have been informed by mediators. We have received messages, without going into details, but the main point is that the diplomatic apparatus has been active in recent days and ideas have been conveyed to us by certain mediators," the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

Baghaei firmly pinned the blame for the current military flare-up ...