TEHRAN: Washington does not dare attack us and it is useless to negotiate

Iran's presidency said that the mediation of some countries does not necessarily mean direct negotiations between Tehran and Washington, while a Revolutionary Guards commander said that Washington and its supporters can not attack Iran because of the "spirit of resistance."

"Some countries are striving to mediate between Tehran and Washington, but there is no point in negotiating with the United States as long as the Americans continue to pressure and do not live up to their promises," Mahmood Waazee, director of the Iranian president's office, told a news briefing Wednesday after a meeting of the Iranian cabinet.

He added that Baghdad announced its intention to send a political delegation to Tehran and another to the United States, but the Iraqi delegation has not arrived in Tehran until now, stressing that Iran and Iraq have strong ties, and that Tehran will review the proposals of Baghdad during the visit of the Iraqi political delegation, but ultimately the decision back to Iran .

He also denied the news about the intervention of Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi to mediate between Tehran and Washington, adding that the visit of Yusuf bin Alawi was to assess bilateral relations and developments in the region.

The spirit of resistance
Meanwhile, a senior Revolutionary Guard commander said the United States and its supporters do not dare attack Iran because of its "resistance spirit."

"If the criminal America and its Western and regional protectors do not dare to engage in direct military confrontation with our country, it is because of the spirit of resistance and sacrifice of the people and the youth," General Ghulam Ali Rashid was quoted by Fars news agency as saying.

Hosam al-Din Ashna, an adviser to the Iranian president, said the US military deployment in the region was a deliberate provocation.

This is called a provocation, which forces Iran to show its own deterrent, which you call a provocation, "said Ashna in a letter to Twitter to the US Secretary of State on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump said on Twitter on Sunday: "If Iran wants to fight, it will be the official end to it, never threaten the United States again."

Tension between Iran and the United States has grown since Washington pulled out of the nuclear deal in 2015 and re-imposed tough sanctions on Tehran.

Tensions have risen between the two countries after Washington beefed up its military presence in the Middle East, including sending an aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers and Patriot missiles in a show of force against what US officials say is Iranian threats to US troops and interests in the region.