Iran military spokesperson: 'Not now. Not ever' — categorical rejection as Turkey and Pakistan offered as talks venues

Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaqari escalated Iran's rhetorical rejection of US negotiations to its most categorical level on March 25: 'Has your internal conflict reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves? People like us can never get along with people like you… no one like us will make a deal with you. Not now. Not ever.' The statement mocks Trump's public claim that negotiations are ongoing and dismisses the entire diplomatic framework as incompatible with Iranian values. Simultaneously, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Pakistan has passed the US proposal to Iran, with both Pakistan and Turkey being considered as potential venues for talks aimed at easing tensions. Turkey's addition as a possible venue is new — previously only Islamabad had been mentioned. Turkey has existing diplomatic relationships with both the US and Iran and has offered itself as a neutral host for sensitive negotiations. The dual reality — public military categorical rejection and active diplomatic back-channel venue discussions — characterizes Iran's dual-track strategy throughout Day 26. Iran's military and foreign ministry publicly reject talks while the diplomatic apparatus continues to engage through intermediaries.