Iranian president says Tehran not seeking wider war

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that Tehran defends its borders but is not seeking to widen the scope of the conflict, according to state media.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that talks were underway with Iran, but Tehran denied any plans for negotiations. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei rejected Trump's remarks, stating: "There are no negotiations with the United States and no meetings have been scheduled."

He added that Iran has no plans to host foreign delegations or send negotiators abroad in the coming days.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson noted that all Iranian negotiators are currently inside the country, except for Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who is on a religious visit to Iraq. He said the only ongoing talks are with Oman regarding the management of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump previously announced that he had called off large-scale strikes on Iran at Tehran's request to allow for diplomacy, but made this conditional on a swift agreement that would include "the immediate, total, and complete opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran's nuclear threat."