The government of Iran has ruled out the possibility of ceasefire negotiations as military strikes by the United States and Israel continue to escalate.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Monday that Tehran would not engage in ceasefire discussions while attacks against the country persist.
According to him, Iran did not initiate the conflict and was in the middle of diplomatic negotiations when it was attacked.
“Military aggression is ongoing,” Baghaei told reporters. “There is little place to talk about anything other than defense and a crushing response to the enemy.”
Amid the rising tensions, security forces were reportedly deployed to mosques and other public facilities across Tehran and several other cities, according to reports by Iran International citing eyewitnesses.
The personnel include members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij Resistance Force, a volunteer paramilitary group operating under the IRGC.
The deployment followed reports of explosions in Tehran and across the Isfahan region, including areas such as Dowlatabad, Mahmoudabad, Malek Shahr, Shahin Shahr, Sepahan Shahr, and Zarrin Shahr.
Meanwhile, in an interview with CBS News, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated that Washington was prepared to intensify its military campaign until Iran is forced to surrender.
Hegseth said the United States could deploy additional conventional weapons, including gravity bombs weighing between 500 and 2,000 pounds, targeting military installations.
“We haven’t even begun to start that effort of the campaign,” he said.
The escalating conflict has also begun to disrupt the Gulf’s energy sector. In Bahrain, state-owned energy firm Bapco Energies declared force majeure on Monday after an Iranian drone reportedly struck the Sitra area, affecting its refinery complex.
The impact of the conflict has spread across the region, with Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and QatarEnergy temporarily halting some operational workflows amid growing security concerns.
