New Delhi [India], March 14 (ANI): Rejecting claims made by US President Donald Trump that Tehran is seeking negotiations as the conflict in West Asia escalates, Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, the representative in India of Iran's Supreme Leader, on Saturday, dismissed these assertions, saying Tehran is prepared to continue the war 'even for five years'.

Speaking in an interview with ANI, Ilahi firmly denied that Iran currently wants to enter into negotiations with the United States, noting that it was Washington that targeted Tehran in the middle of negotiations.

'No. Never ever. Iran never wants at the moment to negotiate with them because they started this war. And we have experiences with them. Two times we were negotiating with them, and they attacked us. They targeted us,' he said.

Ilahi stated that Tehran would not submit to its enemies and was prepared for a prolonged conflict if necessary. Drawing parallels with the conflict between Iran and Iraq, the representative said that Iran had experience in sustaining a long war.

'I don't know any deadline for this war. But what I know is that Iran is ready to continue this war to the end, even for five years. And we have experience in the war. We had eight years of experience of the war between Iran and Iraq at that time. And we are ready. And if you go to the streets of Iran, you will see all the people are there, and they are chanting for retaliation. And they say we are ready to give our blood, but we are not ready to give our land,' he said.

Ilahi also said Iran had attempted several times to avoid escalation in the region and had urged neighbouring countries to help prevent conflict in the Middle East.

'We didn't want war. Several times, we tried to avoid any type of war in the region. Even though we informed our neighbours that they have to try to avoid the region of this war because the region cannot tolerate any more war,' he said.

He also expressed concerns over the ongoing conflict, stating that the conflict was not only affecting the people of Iran but had also become a global concern, citing rising energy prices and wider economic impacts.

Highlighting the global implications of the conflict, Ilahi pointed to the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical transit for global energy supply.

He said disruptions in the region were affecting many countries through shortages of gas, petrol and oil, but maintained that Iran had no option but to defend itself.

'Actually, the crisis is not only for Iran, but it's a global crisis. And they imposed this war on us, and we have to defend ourselves. We are ready to share our blood for our dignity, for our independence, for our country,' he said.

'We are not happy with the suffering of other people--the shortage of gas, the shortage of petrol, the shortage of oil. But we have to defend ourselves. We don't have any other option,' he added, urging global leaders to pressure the United States to stop the war.

The current round of conflict in West Asia, which started on February 28, has witnessed fighting between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other.

The conflict escalated following the killing of 86-year-old Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint military strikes by the US and Israel, after which Iran, in its retaliation, targeted Israeli and US assets in several Gulf countries and Israel, causing disruption in the waterway and affecting international energy markets and global economic stability.

Due to the conflict in the region, Iran has virtually closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical transit route for global energy supply. (ANI)