The United States has delivered a 15-point plan for a monthlong ceasefire to Iran, various media outlets reported on Wednesday, but a spokesman for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters denied that any such development had occurred.

The spokesman dismissed Washington's move as an attempt to pass off what he described as a US military "defeat" of Iran as an "agreement", Tasnim News Agency reported. He emphasized that Iran "will never come to terms with an aggressor".

"The strategic power you were boasting about has turned into a strategic defeat. A self-proclaimed superpower, if it could escape the predicament, would have done so by now," the spokesman was quoted as saying.

He also questioned whether US "self-conflicts" had reached the point where Washington was negotiating with itself.

The spokesman warned that the region would see neither new US investments nor a return to previous energy prices until Washington understands that regional stability is guaranteed by the strength of Iran's armed forces.

"Our first and last word has been, is, and will always be: Someone like us will not come to terms with someone like you. Not now, and not ever," he added.

Al Jazeera had earlier reported that there was confusion in Iran regarding whom the US was negotiating with, as US President Donald Trump touted "progress" in talks.

Abdul Wahed Jalal Nori, a lecturer in the Department of Fundamental and Inter-Disciplinary Studies at the International Islamic University Malaysia, told China Daily that the confusion highlights a deeper structural problem — the absence of a clearly unified Iranian negotiating channel.

"Without clarity on counterparts, even a well-designed framework risks stalling at the implementation stage," said Abdul Wahed, who authored the study State-building Under Foreign Occupation: The Case of Iraq 2003-2008.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's Director-General Rafael Grossi reiterated on Tuesday his call for maximum restraint following a fresh attack on Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Trans-Atlantic rifts

Meanwhile, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemned the US for starting the war against Iran, calling it "a politically disastrous mistake".

Abdul Wahed said the criticism reflects a widening trans-Atlantic divergence.

"European actors appear increasingly concerned that military-first approaches are undermining diplomatic channels, while also exposing Europe to secondary economic and security fallout," he said.

"But such criticism, while politically significant, has limited practical impact unless it translates into coordinated diplomatic pressure or alternative mediation efforts."

Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said any reasonable assessment of the facts "leads to the clear conclusion that the United States and Iran have a strong shared interest in ending this war right now".

Qatar's former prime minister, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, said in a post on X that in the region's history, and amid reports of ongoing talks between the US and Iran to halt military operations, the Gulf Cooperation Council states "cannot be absent from any table where the contours of the regional future are being drawn".

"The security of this region is not a secondary matter, nor a file to be discussed on our behalf; rather, it is the essence of our stability and existence," he said.

The Strait of Hormuz "is not a bargaining chip, nor a tool of pressure", he added. "It is an international passage that must remain open without condition or restriction, under any circumstance."

Abdul Wahed, from the International Islamic University Malaysia, said the Gulf states "have direct exposure to both the security and economic consequences of escalation, yet are often treated as secondary stakeholders".

If they are not part of any negotiations, it risks "weakening regional buy-in and long-term enforceability", he said. "Any durable arrangement will likely require a broader regional security architecture, not just a bilateral or US-Iran understanding," he said.

"Trump seems to have assumed in the beginning he could switch the conflict on and off, but is now confronting consequences he did not anticipate," he added.

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com