Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is to release an “important letter” to US members of the public in hours, his office said – as the country rejected as “false” Donald Trump’s claims that the regime has sought a ceasefire deal. Mehdi Tabatabai, the president’s spokesperson, announced the letter but did not give any further details as to its contents.

Taking to social media, he said Tehran’s position on the war had not changed as he dismissed “the delusions and lies” of the US and Israel. Iran’s foreign ministry has already dismissed the US President’s claim that Mr Pezeshkian asked for a ceasefire as “false and baseless”.

Washington would ignore any ceasefire request and carry on “blasting Iran into oblivion” until the vital shipping route was “open, free and clear”, the US President added.

He wrote: “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!

“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!!! President DJT.”

Mr Trump is also set to give an update on the war later, revealing his two-to-three-week timetable for bringing it to an end, Reuters reports.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the 9pm ET (2am GMT) remarks would be an “important update”.

He told the news agency: “They won’t ​have a nuclear weapon because ​they are incapable of that now, ⁠and then I’ll leave, and I’ll take everybody with me, and if ⁠we have to we’ll ​come back to do spot hits.”