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Iran’s top national security official has ruled out renewed negotiations with Washington, sharply escalating rhetoric as military confrontation between Iran, the United States and Israel widens across the Middle East. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, dismissed reports of diplomatic outreach and accused President Donald Trump of driving regional instability through what he described as “delusional actions”.
Iran shuts door on negotiations with Washington
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Larijani publicly rejected claims that Tehran had sought to revive nuclear talks through intermediaries, contradicting reports suggesting backchannel diplomacy was under way following 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 attempted to reopen negotiations via Omani mediators. Iranian officials moved quickly to deny the claim, signalling a hardened posture as hostilities expand.
Tehran “will not negotiate” with the US, Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani said as the conflict expands, reinforcing the message that diplomacy is currently off the table.
Larijani accuses Trump of fuelling regional ‘chaos’
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In unusually direct criticism, Larijani blamed Trump personally for escalating tensions and placing American forces at risk.
US President Donald Trump has “plunged the region into chaos with his ‘false hopes’ and is now worried about further casualties of American troops,” said Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, on X.
“With his delusional actions, he has transformed his self-made slogan of ‘America First’ into ‘Israel First’ and sacrificed American soldiers for Israel’s quest for 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 Iranian forces “did not initiate the invasion.”
Conflict intensifies across multiple fronts
The diplomatic rupture comes as military exchanges spread beyond Iran and Israel into neighbouring countries, raising fears of a wider regional war.
Israeli forces launched attacks on Beirut and towns in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for rocket fire into northern Israel. Israeli authorities issued displacement 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 reported killed in Bahrain during Iranian retaliatory attacks, while explosions were reported near a US military base outside Baghdad.
Casualties mount as war expands
Iranian state media reported that more than 200 people have been killed inside Iran since the escalation began. The United States confirmed that three American service members had died and five others were seriously wounded.
Trump warned that additional American casualties were possible and suggested the conflict could continue for as long as four weeks. At the same time, he claimed Iran’s new leadership was seeking renewed negotiations, though no details were provided.
The strikes have reignited debate in Washington over presidential war powers, as lawmakers question the scope and duration of US military involvement.
Leadership transition adds uncertainty in Tehran
The crisis unfolds amid a sensitive political transition following Khamenei’s death. A temporary governing council — including senior cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi and President Masoud Pezeshkian — has assumed authority during the transition period.
Analysts say the leadership shift may reduce incentives for compromise, as Iran’s ruling establishment seeks to project unity and resolve in the face of external pressure.
Markets react to escalation fears
Financial markets responded sharply to the expanding conflict. Oil prices surged amid fears of supply disruption, with US crude and global benchmark Brent rising more than 8 per cent before retreating from peak gains.
Safe-haven assets rallied, with gold prices climbing while US futures and Asian equity markets declined broadly 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-defence.
The coordinated response underscores the widening diplomatic divide as military exchanges intensify and prospects for immediate negotiations fade.
Diplomacy sidelined as rhetoric hardens
Larijani’s remarks suggest Tehran is prioritising confrontation over dialogue, at least in the near term. By publicly rejecting negotiations and directly blaming Washington for regional instability, Iran’s leadership signalled that diplomatic channels — once seen as a potential off-ramp — are now effectively frozen.
As fighting spreads across multiple theatres and casualties rise, the collapse of even indirect talks leaves the Middle East facing an increasingly uncertain and volatile phase of conflict.
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