Iran Rejects US Talks, Says Message Exchanges Are Not Negotiations

Iran’s foreign minister has rejected the idea of negotiations with the United States, saying Tehran will not accept a ceasefire under pressure as the war deepens.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview that there are currently no negotiations between Tehran and Washington, despite repeated suggestions from US President Donald Trump that talks may be close. Araghchi said only direct or indirect messages are being exchanged, and described them as warnings rather than diplomacy.

His remarks underscore the widening gap between the two sides’ public narratives. While Trump has said the United States could end its military campaign within “two or three weeks” and has floated the possibility of an agreement, Tehran has continued to insist that message-passing through intermediaries does not amount to formal dialogue.

Araghchi’s comments also suggest Iran is not prepared to accept a ceasefire on terms it sees as imposed by Washington during an active conflict. Iranian officials have indicated that any path toward de-escalation would require guarantees that go far beyond a temporary pause in fighting, including security assurances and a broader shift in US military posture.

At the same time, regional mediation efforts are continuing behind the scenes. Pakistan has emerged as one of the countries attempting to relay messages between Washington and Tehran, while other regional states such as Turkey and Egypt have also reportedly been involved in efforts to reduce tensions and test possible diplomatic openings.

The absence of direct talks reflects not only mistrust but also the political difficulty both governments face in appearing conciliatory during wartime. For Tehran, any open negotiation while under attack risks being framed domestically as weakness, while for Washington, pressure remains to show military leverage before offering concessions.

Iran and the United States have not maintained formal diplomatic relations for decades, and even indirect diplomacy has often relied on intermediaries such as Oman, Qatar, Switzerland or regional partners. In crises, both sides have frequently exchanged warnings through back channels while publicly denying meaningful engagement.

The latest war has made diplomacy even harder by raising the stakes around oil routes, regional security and nuclear concerns. As military strikes and retaliatory attacks spread across the Gulf, every signal about negotiations now carries both strategic and economic consequences far beyond Iran and the United States.

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