Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth will make his first testimony before Congress on the Mideast war Wednesday, as efforts to end the conflict stalled with the United States reportedly skeptical of Tehran's latest offer to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has blockaded the waterway -- a vital conduit for oil and gas shipments -- since the start of the US-Israeli offensive two months ago, sending shockwaves through the global economy.
US officials did not dispute accounts by CNN and The Wall Street Journal that US President Donald Trump was skeptical of the proposal.
During a White House state dinner Tuesday, Trump told Britain's King Charles III and other guests that Iran has been "militarily defeated."He added that "Charles agrees with me even more than I do -- we're never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon."
But an Iranian army spokesman told state TV on Tuesday that "we do not consider the war to be over," saying Tehran had "no trust in America."
"We have many cards that we have not yet used... new tools and methods of fighting based on the experiences of the past two wars, which will definitely allow us to respond to the enemy more decisively" should the fighting resume, Amir Akraminia said in an interview.
Efforts to end the war have stalled in recent days, with Vice President JD Vance last week preparing to fly to Pakistan for new talks but then staying home.
The latest Iranian proposal, passed along by Pakistan and studied by Trump administration officials in a meeting Monday, laid out red lines including on nuclear issues and Hormuz, according to Iran's Fars news agency.
The plan would reportedly see Tehran ease its chokehold on the strait and Washington lift its retaliatory blockade on Iranian ports while broader negotiations continue, including over the thorny question of Iran's nuclear program.