Iran on Wednesday dismissed President Donald Trump’s assertion that its leadership had requested a ceasefire, as tensions between Washington and Tehran continued to escalate.

Esmail Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, rejected the claim outright, calling it “false and baseless,” according to Iranian state media reports.

In a separate announcement, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps emphasized that it maintains full authority over the Strait of Hormuz and signaled no intention of reopening the critical waterway.

“This strait will not be opened to the enemies of this nation through the ridiculous spectacle by the president of the United States,” the IRGC said, adding that the passage “is firmly and decisively under the control” of its forces.

The Iranian responses followed remarks Trump posted on Truth Social, where he claimed that Tehran had sought a ceasefire.

“Iran’s new regime president, much less radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!” Trump wrote.

He made clear that any agreement would depend on Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. “We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!”

Trump has also recently argued that Iran has effectively undergone a leadership shake-up, pointing to the elimination of key figures who were in power at the start of the war.

Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said he expects the conflict to continue for a short period longer while negotiations proceed.

“We’re negotiating with them right now. We have had regime change. Regime change was not one of the things I had as a goal. I had one goal. They will have no nuclear weapon. And that goal has been attained. They will not have nuclear weapons. But we’re finishing the job. And I think within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer to do the job.”

He added that the administration is seeking to dismantle Iran’s remaining capabilities, while leaving open the possibility of a deal.

“we want to knock out every single thing they have. It’s possible that we’ll make a deal before that..but if they come to the table, that’ll be good. But it doesn’t matter whether they come or not. We’ve set them back. It’ll take 15 to 20 years for them to rebuild what we’ve done to them.”

Trump went on to describe what he said was the current state of Iran’s military and leadership following recent strikes.

“They have no Navy. They have no military. They have no Air Force. They have no telecommunications and no anti-aircraft systems. They have no leaders. You know, their leaders are all gone. That’s why we have regime change. We have nice new leaders.”