Iran rejects talks and possible compromise with US

Iran on Wednesday rejected negotiations with the United States, stressing that the country will not come to terms with the US government, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman of Iran's main military command Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, made the remarks in response to US President Donald Trump's claims that Tehran is negotiating with the United States and wants a deal to end the war.

If the United States, which "claims to be the world's superpower," had been able to free itself from the predicament, it would have done so by now, Zolfaghari said.

He urged the United States to stop disguising its defeat as "an agreement," adding, "the strategic power the enemies would brag about has turned into a strategic defeat."

The United States is negotiating with itself due to its internal strife, Zolfaghari noted, warning that the US will neither be able to invest in West Asia nor see energy and oil prices return to previous levels until it understands that stability in the region is guaranteed by the Iranian armed forces.

Whether the situation can return to what it was in the past will depend on Iran's will, he said, adding that normalcy will only be restored when the United States completely erases the thought of "taking actions against the Iranian nation" from its mind.

Trump claimed on Monday that Washington had talks with Iran and the two sides had "major points of agreement." On Tuesday night, Israel's Channel 12 and The New York Times both reported that Washington had delivered Iran a 15-point plan for a month-long ceasefire deal. But Iran has repeatedly denied having negotiations with Washington.

On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the Middle East.

(Cover: The Iranian flag (L) and the American flag. /VCG)