Iranian media: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson denies negotiations with the US seeking to end the war, not just a ceasefire.

According to Iranian media outlet Fars News, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bekaei stated that since the outbreak of war in late February, there have been neither negotiations nor any exchanges between Tehran and Washington. In an interview on Wednesday, Bekaei said, "After launching attacks on Iran during negotiations, no one can trust American foreign policy anymore." He added that Washington had negotiated with Tehran twice, but launched attacks on Iran both times, noting that the attacks on Iran by Israel and the United States during indirect negotiations were a "betrayal of diplomacy." Bekaei said, "Yesterday we made it clear that there are no negotiations or consultations between Iran and the United States. I want to say that we have had a very painful experience with American diplomacy." He refuted US President Trump's claim that Washington and Tehran had begun ceasefire negotiations. He stated, "There has been no contact between Iran and the United States in the past 24 days, and the Iranian armed forces are still defending the country's territorial integrity." He added, "I cannot deny the fact that many countries in the region and more broadly have offered to act as mediators in negotiations between Iran and the United States. These offers have been coming in for several days. We have received requests for such negotiations and responded to them. Our position is clear: we will continue to defend ourselves." He also stated that the statements from the United States and Israel regarding negotiations with Iran are unreliable because they instigated the war of terror against Tehran. Iranian sources said, "What we seek is an end to the war, not just a ceasefire." (Jin Shi)