US President Donald Trump took a swipe at Iran during a rally on Sunday, saying the country has no leaders left and that he is having difficulty finding anyone to hold negotiations with.
"They have no airplanes, no ships, no leaders, no anything... Their level-one leader is gone... their level-two leader is gone... I've got to stop, because I have to figure out with whom we are negotiating," he said.
The video of these remarks has gone viral.
In the first few weeks of the war, the US and Israel killed several of Iran's top political and military leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in airstrikes.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the new Supreme Leader, was also seriously injured. He has been issuing statements but has yet to make a public appearance.
The two nations, which have been battling on and off over the past nine months, have temporarily halted strikes. Trump, however, has been hinting that the strikes will resume after the US midterm elections on November 3.
Also read: US To Strike Iran Today? Trump Keeps World On Edge With "Maybe" Response
He has also sent a third aircraft carrier group and 10,000 sailors and Marines.
Amid Trump's aggressive posturing, Iran is also preparing for an onslaught.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that a potential resumption of war would not change his country's positions.
"Recently, there has been talk of a new war, but I am already thinking about the post-war period. Whether there is war or not, our policies remain the same," Araghchi was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
"They have already done so twice and have seen the results. If they want to try again, they know they will achieve no different outcome from those of the past," he added.
Iran and the United States have had sporadic exchanges of fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime route responsible for the transportation of the bulk of global oil needs.
These flare-ups have ebbed in recent weeks. However, the messaging from Trump and his administration has renewed tensions.
"The current war has changed everything. We must accept that new realities are taking hold. Shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz will no longer be the same, and the management of the strait will no longer be the same," Araghchi added.