Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Tehran was not engaged in any negotiations with the United States and had not responded to a reported 15-point American proposal to end the war.

“There are no grounds for negotiations,” Araghchi said in an interview with Al Jazeera. He acknowledged that messages had been exchanged between the two sides, both directly and through regional intermediaries, but drew a clear distinction between message exchanges and formal talks. He confirmed some direct communication with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Iran has been at war with the US and Israel since February 28, when strikes killed the country’s supreme leader and triggered a conflict that has since spread across the region. The war broke out in the middle of ongoing nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

Pakistan conveyed the 15-point US proposal to Iran last week, according to two senior Pakistani officials. Iranian media had reported that Tehran offered a five-point counterproposal calling for an end to hostilities and guarantees against future attacks. Araghchi rejected this, saying Tehran had not offered anything in response and that reported Iranian counterproposals were “merely guesses” from a media outlet.

Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have drawn in Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan, while China and Pakistan jointly proposed a five-point peace initiative this week. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian had separately pressed European Council President Antonio Costa for an immediate ceasefire, though he conditioned any agreement on firm guarantees against future domestic attacks.

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