Iran said it would not allow the US to determine when the two countries go to war or make peace, as four consecutive nights without new exchanges of fire raised hopes that Qatar and Pakistan-led mediation could revive the collapsed interim agreement.
"We will not allow the United States to determine the timing of war and peace," Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said at his weekly press briefing on Monday.
He said any decision on future talks would be based solely on Iran's national interests and that Tehran would continue defending itself "for as long as necessary".
Speaking to Austria's ORF television on Sunday, Baghaei acknowledged that Tehran and Washington were still exchanging messages but said US military actions had destroyed the conditions for meaningful negotiations, with Iran's immediate priority being the protection of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump told reporters that Iran had requested talks "through intermediaries and directly," claiming Tehran was willing to negotiate because of the military pressure it had faced.
