Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that if the US attacked Iran, it would become a regional conflict, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday.
The comment follows US President Donald Trump telling reporters aboard Air Force One that Iran is "seriously" talking to the US and hinted at a deal to avoid military strikes.
He added that he hoped that the Islamic Republic would negotiate "something that's acceptable."
On Saturday, an Iranian security official confirmed Trump's comments in an X/Twitter post.
"Contrary to the atmosphere being created by artificial media warfare, the formation of a structure for #negotiations is underway," Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Larijani wrote, without giving further details.
Also on Saturday, the Qatari Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs met with the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council to discuss actions to de-escalate tensions in the region.
Trump steps up pressure on Iran, refuses to buy oil from Islamic Republic
Notably, on Saturday, Trump said India will buy Venezuelan oil, as opposed to purchasing oil from Iran.
"We've already made that deal, the concept of the deal," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled to his vacation home in Florida from Washington.
Reuters reported on Friday that the United States has told Delhi it could soon resume purchases of Venezuelan oil to help replace Russian oil imports, citing three people familiar with the matter.
India has not been importing significant amounts of Iranian oil due to US sanctions, but it became a major buyer of Russian oil after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered Western sanctions that drove down its price.