Iranian military officials have publicly thrown a jab at United States President Donald Trump’s assertions that a ceasefire deal is within reach, bluntly stating that the U.S is currently “negotiating with yourself.”
The dismissal follows a series of optimistic remarks from the White House suggesting that high-level discussions were underway to end the three-week-old conflict that has destabilized global energy markets.
Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which commands both the regular military and the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, claimed on Wednesday that there are no ongoing peace talks.
Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, appeared on state television Wednesday to deliver a pre-recorded message to debunk the claims.
He mocked the 15-point peace framework reportedly proposed by the U.S., questioning the reality of the diplomatic progress claimed by Washington.
“Have your (U.S) internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?” said Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for the headquarters.
“Our first and last word has been, is, and will be the same from the very first day: Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you,” Zolfaghari said in the video statement aired on state television. “Not now, and not ever.”
The Iranian rejection comes just 24 hours after Trump told reporters at the White House that Iran was “eager to make a deal,” even hinting at a “very significant prize” related to the flow of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz.
While Trump indicated that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were engaged in the process, Tehran maintained that no direct or indirect talks are actually occurring.
Meanwhile, reports emerging on Wednesday have revealed that about 1,000 U.S soldiers with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division are expected to deploy to the Middle East in the coming days.
It was gathered that the contingent includes Maj. Gen. Brandon Tegtmeier, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, and the division staff, as well as a battalion of the 1st Brigade Combat Team which is currently acting as the division’s Immediate Response Force (IRF).
The initial elements of the division staff and battalion are expected to begin deploying within a week, one source familiar with the situation said. Other elements within the brigade are also expected to deploy at a later date, although those expectations could change as the situation develops.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the 82nd, the U.S Army’s only division that can deploy anywhere in the world in 18 hours from its base in North Carolina, maintains what is called an Immediate Response Force (IRF) capability.
The division has three combat teams of about 4,000 troops each, an aviation brigade with attack, transport, and cargo helicopters, an artillery unit, a logistics brigade, and its headquarters battalion.
The 82nd Infantry Division was formed during and fought in World War I but was demobilized when the war ended.
The military brought it back shortly after the beginning of World War II, and in August 1942 it became the Army’s first airborne division and fought in some of the most important campaigns of the war, including the invasion of Normandy in 1944.
Since World War II, the 82nd Airborne has seen combat in Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Iraq, and Afghanistan as well as operations against ISIS around the Middle East.
