Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that his country was in a “full-scale war” with the United States and that Tehran should accept the repercussions of the conflict, even as mediators reportedly proposed a 10-day truce to deescalate the fighting.

“The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war,” Pezeshkian said, adding that “we must be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance,” according to a statement.

Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf doubled down on the sentiment, claiming that US military steps proved that Washington is not interested in ending the recent escalation with Tehran.

“Americans keep bringing new military equipment to the region and claim they want to stop the war,” said Ghalibaf on X. “They’ve bet on our intelligence being as low as their own IQ.”

“We’ve reached the stage of mastery in recognizing these American games, and on that basis, we’ve prepared ourselves,” he continued. “Actions must confirm claims, not contradict them.”

Israel’s security cabinet was set to meet on Monday in light of the conflict, according to Hebrew media reports. A US official likewise told the Washington Post on Monday that the US was making plans for a potential expansion of military operations against Iran, while noting that Washington was limited by low munitions stockpiles.

“The US is planning for a wider war,” the official said, adding that the US was sending more military aircraft to the Middle East, seemingly confirming Ghalibaf’s remarks.

According to the outlet, the Pentagon will be hamstrung by its insufficient stockpiles of air defense and long-range missiles. It will also be limited in its ability to bring more troops into the fight because of battle damage incurred during earlier combat against Iran.

“We do not have enough to safely sustain operations, and I don’t think the White House is aware of that,” the official warned.

Diplomatic efforts continue

Meanwhile, another Iranian official said that diplomatic exchanges with the United States via mediators were ongoing despite the threats of wider war.

“We have been informed by mediators, we have received messages — without going into details — but the main point is that the diplomatic apparatus has been active in recent days and ideas have been conveyed to us by certain mediators,” Iranian foreign........

© The Times of Israel