Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iran's Parliament, has warned that negotiations conducted under threat are a prelude to war, Entekhab reported on March 28.

"Both former US presidents and the current president behave with duplicity. People know that negotiation accompanied by threats is merely a 'negotiation show' designed to impose their demands on us," Ghalibaf told a Quds Day rally in Tehran.

The senior official speaking at a Al-Quds Day protest claimed America's intention behind pursuing negotiations is to disarm Iran as pro-regime people protested against the US and Israel.

"They want to take away our defensive capabilities, that's why they talk about negotiations. America's meaning of negotiation is the 'disarmament' of Iran," he said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi struck a more measured tone regarding a recent letter from US President Donald Trump, Jamaran reported on the same day.

"This letter has various dimensions and some parts contain threats. We will not allow anyone to speak to the Iranian people with threatening language," Araghchi said, but added that "efforts have been made to open a window for diplomacy."

The foreign minister confirmed that Iran had studied the letter's different aspects and "an appropriate response has been conveyed to the American side."

Contrarian points via Ali Larijani, advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader and member of the Expediency Council, expressed cautious optimism about the ongoing negotiations.

"God willing, we will reach a result and we are hopeful," Larijani told IRNA when asked if the current process would lead to tangible results.

Regarding the possibility of an Iran-US agreement, Larijani said: "The conditions for an agreement must be accepted by both sides, not just one side. Currently, they are stating their position and we are stating ours."

When asked about Trump's threats against Iran, Larijani dismissed them with a pointed observation: "Someone who wants to take action doesn't talk this much."

The differing tones from Iranian officials reflect internal debates about how to approach potential talks with the United States under the Trump administration, which has taken a confrontational stance toward Iran since taking office in January.