ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday said Tehran will defend its borders but does not want to escalate the conflict with Washington further, as his American counterpart claims ongoing talks.

“We defend our own boundaries, but we are not seeking to escalate the conflict,” Pezeshkian said at an event, adding, “We must strive to build a society in these circumstances that the enemy will not be tempted to enter, cannot infiltrate, and cannot fragment and destroy.”

The US-Israeli war on Iran restarted in late February, with Washington maintaining that the offensive was intended to eliminate Iran's nuclear capabilities and impose limits on its missile program.

In June, Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said uranium enrichment is a national right and a "red line" for Iran, adding that it is non-negotiable.

The two warring sides have paused hostilities three times to pursue negotiations, but have returned to launching attacks on every occasion.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday negotiations with Iran were set to resume Monday, after he suspended planned attacks on the country in a bid to restart talks for a possible deal that will end the months-long conflict.

He added that the negotiations would cover the Strait of Hormuz—a vital waterway south of Iran that Tehran has closed, through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil is transported—as well as Iran’s denuclearization.

In June, Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said uranium enrichment is a national right and a "red line" for Iran, adding that it is non-negotiable.

Another key sticking point in the war has been the closure of the Strait of Hormuz which has sharply driven up global oil prices. For the US one of the main points in the memorandum of understanding reached between the warring sides on June 17 was the free navigation of the waterway.

The ceasefire fell through and hostilities resumed only 21 days later, with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) saying a Cyprus-flagged ship had been attacked by Iranian forces.

Despite the two sides having stopped launching missiles and drones, the UKMTO, a UK-based maritime agency, reported Monday that a tanker was hit by an “unknown projectile” off the coast of Oman.