Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said that Tehran would not remain in a state of "neither war nor peace", a statement that came amid US President Donald Trump alternating between threats of escalating the war with a fresh attack and winding down hostilities.
Ghalibaf, the Iranian Parliament's speaker, also warned the US against new strikes.
"We do not care whether the US chooses the path of negotiations or war. If it accepts our seven reasonable conditions, the door to an agreement will be open," he told an open session of the Parliament on Sunday, according to Iran's semiofficial news agency Mehr.
"If the US makes another mistake, Iran's powerful Armed Forces will determine the geography of the battlefield," he added.
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The war in the Middle East began on February 28 when the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, killing the country's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders. In response, Tehran struck American bases in the Middle East and shut the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most vital energy conduit, which sent the oil prices across the world skyrocketing.
On June 17, Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed a 14-point deal to end the war. The agreement provided for an immediate cessation of military operations, including in Lebanon, and committed both countries to pursuing a final agreement within 60 days.
Trump, however, on July 8, said the deal was "over", and Tehran also suspended the memorandum of understanding a week later, accusing Washington of "violating all its commitments".
Since then, Trump has reiterated that he's in no rush to reach a deal.
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Trump has told senior advisers in recent days that he may hold off on attacking Iran if the US faces no new provocations from Tehran or the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing three people familiar with the matter.
In phone calls over the past two weeks, he asked for opinions from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who both urged him not to resume attacks on Iran, Reuters reported, citing a senior US official and another person familiar with the matter.
Trump told bin Salman on October 31 that he was planning to attack after the US midterm elections, but the crown prince pleaded for him to hold off, arguing that economic sanctions against Tehran were working, according to two more people familiar with the discussion.
The US military is also ready to escalate if needed, three more people familiar with US planning said.
READ | Trump May Hold Off New Attacks On Iran, But There's A Condition: Report
A third aircraft carrier is moving into the Middle East in the coming days to replace one of the two currently operating in the region, but all three carriers could stay if needed, the people said.
Trump could also opt to bomb Iran's underground nuclear facilities, one of the people familiar with Trump's calls with the Saudi and Turkish leaders said. But the US has already struck those facilities, and it is unclear whether further strikes would be successful.
Trump has also indicated sympathy for allies in the Middle East who have asked him not to return to a full-fledged war.
"I could end it immediately, but at the request of the nations that I am looking to protect, we are doing it a little bit longer way, a bit more civilly," Trump told sports broadcaster Stephen A Smith on Thursday.
(With agency inputs)
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