Learn Farsi: او خلاصه گفت و در عین حال منحرف نشد. - He spoke briefly and at the same time did not digress.

While be har hâl usually dismisses a previous point to move the conversation forward ("anyway"), dar eyn-e hâl literally means "in the exact state/time" and translates to "at the same time" or "nevertheless." It keeps both ideas active, showing that two potentially contrasting things are true at once—like keeping things brief but still staying on topic.

I often hear kholâse used at the beginning of a sentence to mean "anyway" or "long story short." Is it doing the same thing here?

It is exactly the same word, but playing a different role. Instead of acting as a discourse marker to summarize or transition a story, here it acts as a regular adverb describing how he spoke: "briefly" or "concisely."

Why does the sentence use goft (said) instead of sohbat kard (spoke/conversed)?

In English, we usually say "he spoke briefly," but in Farsi, goftan (to say/tell) is very common when describing the delivery of specific information or making a point. Sohbat kard feels more like "had a back-and-forth conversation," whereas kholâse goft focuses purely on the fact that his statements were brief.

What is the literal translation of monharef nashod, and can it be used outside of conversations?

It literally means "he did not become deviated." The adjective monharef means turned away, deflected, or deviated. While it means "to digress" in a speech context, you can absolutely use physically (like a car veering off a road) or morally (straying from the right path).