TEHRAN: Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Sunday that the United States was plotting a ground attack despite publicly engaging in diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war.
"The enemy publicly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while secretly planning a ground attack," Ghalibaf said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.
"Our men are waiting for the arrival of the American soldiers on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional allies once and for all," he added.
Ghalibaf's defiant message comes after one month of regional war that was sparked on February 28 when Israel and the United States launched air strikes on Iran, killing its supreme leader and triggering a conflict that has spread across the Middle East.
Shipping traffic in the vital Strait of Hormuz -- through which 20 percent of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes -- has been brought to a near-standstill by the conflict.
Ghalibaf called for unity among Iranians, saying the country was in "a major global war" that was "at its most critical stage".
"We are certain that we can punish the United States, make it regret attacking Iran, and firmly secure our legitimate rights," he said.
The USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship carrying around 3,500 Marines and sailors, arrived in the Middle East on Friday.
The Washington Post reported the Pentagon was preparing plans for weeks of ground operations -- potentially including raids on Kharg Island and sites near the Strait of Hormuz -- though US President Donald Trump has yet to approve any deployment.
Trump has repeatedly spoken of diplomatic contacts with Iran, although these claims has been denied by Tehran.
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff has said a US-Iran meeting could take place soon, and promoted a 15-point plan that Washington says "could solve it all".
Pakistan, acting as a go-between for Washington and Tehran, will host foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in Islamabad on Monday for talks on the crisis.