"Our intelligence shows Washington is pursuing talks to buy time for war preparations — not for peace," the official said. "If that’s the case, we see no reason to waste time on negotiations. We prefer to focus on readiness for conflict."

The Iranian official accused the U.S. of attempting to strip Iran of its military capabilities in order to compensate for what he called "Israel’s growing weakness in the next war." He insisted that any future talks must include real guarantees and not serve as a cover for deception.

Among Iran’s new conditions for talks: discussion of Israel’s nuclear arsenal and compensation for damages suffered during the recent war. The official also called for U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to prove he’s genuinely committed to resolving the conflict, not "escalating it." While expressing skepticism, he added, “We’re willing to give the U.S. one more chance to prove itself with actions, not just words.”

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran’s nuclear program had suffered “irreversible damage” from last month’s U.S. strikes and stated he was in no rush to resume talks.

Witkoff had held five rounds of backchannel dialogue with Iran before Israel launched its military operation in Tehran, which began after Iran missed Trump’s 60-day deadline to reach an agreement.

During the 12-day war, Israeli drone and air strikes killed hundreds of Iranians — including civilians, soldiers, and nuclear scientists. In retaliation, Iranian missile attacks killed 27 Israeli civilians.

On June 22, the U.S. joined the conflict with long-range bomber and submarine-launched missile strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire was announced on June 24, after Iran launched missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.