Iran on Wednesday continued to downplay rumours of talks with the US to wind down the war in the Gulf, claiming that President Donald Trump's administration is "negotiating with itself" following reports of a Washington-drafted ceasefire proposal.
President Trump has been pushing for talks with Tehran in a bid to halt the conflict, which has thrown the region into turmoil and is threatening to upend the global economy. However, Israel, the US and Iran appear far from reaching an agreement, with each side issuing maximalist conditions to end the 25-day war.
The US president on Monday claimed to have reached "major points of agreement" following talks, which Iranian officials have denied.
"The level of your internal conflicts has reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves," Iran's military said in a statement.
"Our first and last word has been the same from day one, and it will stay that way: Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you. Not now, not ever."
Reporting in US news media suggests that neither side has offered significant concessions, with the Trump administration expecting Iran to surrender to its pre-war demands and Tehran's new hardline leadership issuing its own ambitious conditions to settle the conflict.
A 15-point ceasefire proposal reportedly submitted to Iran would require it to give up its nuclear enrichment capabilities, suspend production of ballistic missiles, end its support for resistance groups across the region, and hand over control of the Strait of Hormuz . In exchange, the US would lift sanctions and allow it to maintain a civilian nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, Tehran's competing set of demands includes ending the US military presence in the region, an end to sanctions and guarantees that Israel and the US would not restart the war in the future. It also wants to negotiate the future of the Strait of Hormuz to allow it to charge transit fees on commercial vessels.
One US official described the demands as "ridiculous and unrealistic" to The Wall Street Journal .
Speculation about peace talks comes as intensified attacks on oil and gas infrastructure raised fears of an uncontrollable escalation of the conflict. Iran vowed to hit energy and water facilities across the region in response to Friday's threat by the US president to destroy the country's power plants.
Trump backpedalled on his threat on Monday, claiming to have had "very good and productive conversations" with Iranian officials and pledging not to target civilian infrastructure for five days.
Pakistan has put itself forward as a potential mediator, while Trump's vice president JD Vance - who is thought to have been opposed to the war - could lead negotiations for the US.
Iran is reportedly refusing to meet with White House advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, accusing them of deception during the previous rounds of nuclear negotiations.
Despite the talk of a ceasefire, Washington is continuing to increase its military presence in the region with thousands of US Marines on their way to the Gulf ahead of a potential ground operation.