Iran has now threatened to sink US ships in the Middle East and leave America “paralysed” despite efforts to end the war. Mohsen Rezaee, a high-ranking officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said an attack would be launched if Donald Trump targets the country’s infrastructure.

Rezaee, also a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, said US vessels in the Arabian Gulf would “drown”. He said: “If you attack the infrastructure of the Islamic Republic of Iran, our response will no longer be an eye for an eye, but rather a head for an eye; we will paralyse you and drown you in the Gulf.”

“The final deadlines for saving America are approaching”, he added, and there is not “much time left to rescue the United States from this quagmire”.

Rezaee said Iran will not stop attacking the US until it “receives full compensation for war damages”, has sanctions against it lifted, and Washington promises no more interference.

“This is the decision of the people, the leader, and our armed forces.”

Two Iranian news agencies close to the IRGC claimed that there had been no direct or indirect negotiations with Washington. The Fars and Tasnim news agencies instead alleged that Mr Trump had backed down out of fear of a response from the regime.

Tasnim said: “Since the start of the war, messages have been sent to Tehran by some mediators, but Iran’s clear response has been that it will continue its defence until the required level of deterrence is achieved.

“No negotiations have taken place and none are underway. … With this kind of psychological warfare, neither the Strait of Hormuz will return to prewar conditions nor will calm return to energy markets.”