Iran "will have no choice" but to seek nuclear weapons if attacked, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned.

The statement comes in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to bomb Iran if it does not agree to a new nuclear deal.

Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and Iran's foreign ministry for comment.

Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that the Islamic Republic rejected direct negotiations with the United States in response to a letter President Trump sent earlier this month over the country's rapidly advancing nuclear program. It was Tehran's first official response to Mr. Trump's letter.

"Although the possibility of direct negotiations between the two sides has been rejected in this response, it has been emphasized that the path for indirect negotiations remains open," Pezeshkian said, adding Iran's response was delivered via the sultanate of Oman.

Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said on Thursday Tehran has not closed all doors to resolve its disputes with the United States and is ready for indirect negotiations with Washington.

Tehran has so far rebuffed U.S. President Donald Trump's warning it to make a deal or face military consequences. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the message deceptive and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said talks are impossible unless Washington changes its "maximum pressure" policy.

Israel continues to wage war on two fronts this week – to the north in Lebanon and the south in Gaza. The battles with the remnants of Hamas and Hezbollah come as a showdown with Iran and its nuclear program looms over the Middle East.

The Israel Defense Forces struck dozens of Hezbollah rocket launcher sites on Saturday, the largest attack since the ceasefire. The attacks follow a rocket launch from southern Lebanon toward the Galilee.

U.S. airstrikes over the weekend took out Houthi drone, missile and air defense systems, but it remains to be seen whether they struck a lethal blow at their main target: the Iranian regime’s resolve. 

President Trump warns that he will hold Iran responsible for any further attacks by Houthi militants on vessels in the Red Sea area. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Iran is dictating every move of the Houthis, giving them weapons, money and intelligence.

Yemen's Houthi rebels say there have been fresh US strikes against them, with the number of dead rising to 53, including five children.

Targets in the Al Jaouf and Hudaydah areas were hit early on Monday, according to the rebel group, while the US Central Command said its forces had continued operations.

The US launched what it called a "decisive and powerful" wave of air strikes on Houthi targets on Saturday as part of efforts to stop Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

Iran increasingly relies on electronic surveillance and the public to inform on women refusing to wear the country's mandatory headscarf in public, even as hard-liners push for harsher penalties for those protesting the law, a United Nations report released Friday found.

Iran said Sunday it would consider negotiations with the United States if the talks were confined to concerns about the militarization of its nuclear program.

In a statement posted on X, the country’s U.N. mission said: “If the objective of negotiations is to address concerns vis-à-vis any potential"

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said calls for negotiations by “bully states” are aimed at dominating others, not resolving issues, after US President Donald Trump urged him to reach a nuclear deal.