Iran’s top national security official on Monday ruled out resuming talks with Washington, with rhetoric escalating sharply as the military confrontation between Iran and US-Israeli forces widens. Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, dismissed reports of backchannel diplomacy and accused US President Donald Trump of driving regional instability with what he described as “deceptive actions”.
Iran is closing the door to negotiations with Washington
Larijani has publicly rejected claims that Tehran sought to revive nuclear talks through intermediaries
Larijani has publicly rejected claims that Tehran sought to revive nuclear talks through intermediaries, contradicting reports suggesting backchannel diplomacy was underway after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“We will not negotiate with the United States,” he wrote in a post on X.
The statement came after The Wall Street Journal reported that Larijani had tried to restart negotiations through Omani intermediaries. Iranian officials quickly rejected the claim, signaling a hardened stance as hostilities escalate.
Tehran “will not negotiate” with the US, Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani said, as the conflict escalates, reinforcing the message that diplomacy is currently off the table.
Larijani accuses Trump of fomenting regional ‘chaos’
In an unusually direct criticism, Larijani personally accused Trump of escalating tensions and putting US forces at risk.
In a direct criticism, Larijani personally accused Trump of escalating tensions and putting US forces at risk.
Trump “threw the region into chaos with his ‘false hopes’ and now fears more US military losses,” Larijani said on X.
“Through his deceitful actions, he transformed his own ‘America First’ slogan into ‘Israel First’ and sacrificed American troops for Israel’s pursuit of power,” he added.
Larijani, one of the most influential figures in Iran’s political establishment and a longtime adviser to the late Khamenei, also insisted that Iranian forces “did not launch an invasion.”
The conflict is escalating on multiple fronts
The diplomatic rift comes as military exchanges spread beyond Iran and Israel to neighboring countries, raising fears of a wider regional war.
Israeli forces launched attacks on Beirut and cities in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for rocket fire into northern Israel. Israeli authorities issued evacuation orders affecting 53 Lebanese towns and villages, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee overnight.
Israel also announced a new wave of strikes targeting what it described as “the heart of Tehran”, with residents reporting large explosions in the Iranian capital.
Elsewhere, at least one person was killed in Bahrain during Iranian retaliatory strikes, while explosions were reported near a US military base outside Baghdad.
Casualties mount as the war expands
Iranian state media reported that more than 200 people have been killed in Iran since the escalation began. The United States confirmed that three American service members were killed and five others were seriously injured.
Trump warned that further US casualties were possible and suggested the conflict could continue for up to four weeks. He also claimed that the new Iranian leadership was seeking to resume negotiations, although no details were provided.
The strikes have reignited a debate in Washington over the president’s war powers, as lawmakers question the scope and duration of America’s military involvement.
The leadership reshuffle adds uncertainty to Tehran
The crisis comes amid a sensitive political transition following Khamenei’s death. During the transition period, an interim governing council—including the senior cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafí and president Masoud Pezeshkian—took power.
Analysts say the leadership shift may reduce incentives for compromise as Iran’s ruling establishment tries to project unity and resolve in the face of external pressure.
Markets react to fears of escalation
Financial markets reacted sharply to the expanding conflict. Oil prices rose on fears of supply disruptions, with U.S. crude and global benchmark Brent rising more than 8% before retreating from peak gains.
Safe-haven assets rallied, gold prices rose, while U.S. futures and Asian stock markets broadly fell as investors reassessed geopolitical risk.
Regional coalition condemns Iranian attacks
Amid rising tensions, the United States joined Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in issuing a joint statement condemning Iranian attacks across the region and affirming their right to self-defense.
The coordinated response underscores a widening diplomatic divide as military exchanges intensify and prospects for immediate negotiations fade.
Diplomacy sidelined as rhetoric asserts
Larijani’s remarks suggest that Tehran prefers confrontation to dialogue, at least in the near term. By publicly rejecting negotiations and directly blaming Washington for regional instability, Iran’s leadership has signaled that diplomatic channels — once seen as a potential escape route — are now effectively frozen.
As the fighting spreads to multiple theaters and the death toll mounts, the breakdown of even indirect talks will leave the Middle East facing an increasingly uncertain and volatile phase of the conflict.
