Iranian officials have rejected claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that peace negotiations are underway between Washington and Tehran, stating that no talks have taken place. The denial comes as Iran formally turned down a U.S. ceasefire proposal and as military exchanges between Iran, Israel, and Gulf states continued.
Iran's armed forces spokesperson, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, said the United States had reached a point of "negotiating with themselves," according to statements carried by the country's semiofficial Fars news agency. The remarks directly contradicted Trump's assertion that communication channels between the two sides were active.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated in a televised interview that there were no talks or negotiations between Iran and the United States, and that no such engagement had taken place during what he described as the past 25 days of conflict. The statement reinforced Tehran's position that no diplomatic contact had occurred during the current period of hostilities.
Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also dismissed Trump's account as "fake news," stating that the narrative of ongoing negotiations was being used to manipulate global financial and oil markets and to help Washington and Israel manage their position in the conflict.
Despite these denials, Pakistan confirmed it had acted as an intermediary by delivering a U.S. ceasefire proposal to Tehran. Officials in Islamabad said they were awaiting an Iranian response. Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, acknowledged that friendly countries were working to create conditions for dialogue, but reiterated that no direct or indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States had taken place. Iran subsequently rejected the U.S. proposal, describing indirect talks as illogical and not viable at the current stage of the conflict, according to Fars news agency citing informed sources.
The conflicting public statements point to a widening gap between Washington's framing and Tehran's official position. While third-party countries including Pakistan and Turkey have moved to position themselves as potential mediators, Iranian authorities have consistently maintained that no formal diplomatic process is underway.
Military activity has continued alongside the diplomatic uncertainty. Iran's Fars news agency reported that Israeli strikes on the residential area of Varamin, south of Tehran, resulted in at least 12 deaths and 28 injuries. Iran launched missiles and drones toward Israel in response, with rocket barrages triggering sirens across Jerusalem and central Israel. A separate Iranian drone strike targeted fuel storage at Kuwait's international airport, with Kuwaiti aviation authorities confirming the fire was contained and no casualties reported.
The U.S. was also reported to be deploying more than 1,000 additional troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the region, adding to approximately 50,000 already stationed there, according to Reuters and AP.
As of March 25, the conflict remains active with no confirmed diplomatic engagement between Iran and the United States. While intermediary efforts by Pakistan and other regional states continue, Iran's formal rejection of the U.S. ceasefire proposal and its repeated public denials indicate that no negotiation process has been established at this stage.
Muskan Zahra
