‘No, never’: Iran rules out US talks, ready for war ‘even for five years’

As tensions continue to escalate in West Asia, Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, the representative in India of Iran’s Supreme Leader, has dismissed claims by US President Donald Trump that Tehran is seeking negotiations with Washington, asserting that Iran is prepared to prolong the conflict “even for five years”.

Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Ilahi denied that Iran currently wants to enter into talks with the United States. He argued that it was Washington that initiated the conflict by attacking Tehran during ongoing negotiations.

“No. Never ever. Iran never wants at the moment to negotiate with them because they started this war. And we have experiences with them. Two times we were negotiating with them, and they attacked us. They targeted us,” he said.

Ilahi said that Iran would not surrender to its enemies and is prepared to sustain a long conflict if necessary. Referring to the Iran-Iraq war, he said the country had experience in enduring prolonged warfare.

“I don't know any deadline for this war. But what I know is that Iran is ready to continue this war to the end, even for five years. And we have experience in the war. We had eight years of experience of the war between Iran and Iraq at that time. And we are ready. And if you go to the streets of Iran, you will see all the people are there, and they are chanting for retaliation. And they say we are ready to give our blood, but we are not ready to give our land,” he said.

He also stated that Iran had attempted several times to prevent escalation in the region and had urged neighbouring countries to help avoid another war in the Middle East.

“We didn't want war. Several times, we tried to avoid any type of war in the region. Even though we informed our neighbours that they have to try to avoid the region of this war because the region cannot tolerate any more war,” he said.

Ilahi warned that the ongoing conflict was not limited to Iran and had wider global implications. He pointed out that disruptions in the region were already affecting international markets, including rising energy prices.

Talking about the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supply, he said the conflict was affecting multiple countries through shortages of gas, petrol and oil. However, he maintained that Iran had no choice but to defend itself.

“Actually, the crisis is not only for Iran, but it's a global crisis. And they imposed this war on us, and we have to defend ourselves. We are ready to share our blood for our dignity, for our independence, for our country,” he said.

“We are not happy with the suffering of other people, the shortage of gas, the shortage of petrol, the shortage of oil. But we have to defend ourselves. We don't have any other option,” he added, urging global leaders to pressure the United States to end the conflict.

The current round of fighting in West Asia began on February 28 and has seen Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other.

The conflict escalated after the killing of Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint military strikes by the US and Israel. In retaliation, Iran targeted Israeli and US assets across several Gulf countries and Israel, disrupting shipping routes and affecting global energy markets and economic stability.

As the conflict intensifies, Iran has virtually closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical transit routes for oil and gas supplies, raising concerns about its impact on international trade and energy security.