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Iran’s top diplomat said on Sunday that there would be no military solution to the conflict with the United States, as talks aimed at ending the war appeared to have reached an impasse.
A campaign of heavy bombardment failed to bring a decisive end to the war launched by the US and Israel in late February, while Washington in recent weeks has scaled back military operations in favour of economic pressure.
The main point of contention remains Iran’s attempt to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for Gulf oil and gas. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported several incidents involving vessels in the strategic waterway in recent weeks.
“If our enemies again choose the path of military confrontation, our response will be stronger than before, and we will defend ourselves with even more force,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at a gathering of foreign ambassadors.
“There is no military solution, nor any solution based on new sanctions,” he said, adding that “only negotiations based on justice and fairness” could end the conflict.
The two sides agreed a memorandum of understanding in June that outlined a framework for a permanent resolution, but Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz prompted a return to US military operations.
Iran has sought to impose its control over the vital shipping lane since the start of the war, striking vessels that attempt to transit without its authorisation.
The US has imposed its own counter-blockade of Iranian ports and has also struck vessels it accuses of violating it.
On Sunday, the British maritime security agency UKMTO said a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz had “reported being struck by an unknown projectile, causing damage to the engine room”. The crew were reported safe and no environmental impact was recorded.
The agency did not specify the date of the incident, the vessel’s origin or destination, or whether it was an oil tanker or LNG carrier.
Iranian and US officials last week held indirect talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, with Tehran saying it had presented seven conditions for reopening the strait.
Iran has demanded, among other things, a ceasefire across the Middle East, the unfreezing of its assets abroad, the lifting of sanctions on its oil sector and an end to the US naval blockade.
US President Donald Trump rejected the proposal while leaving the door open to further talks or renewed military operations. Recent reporting indicates that diplomatic contacts have continued despite the rejection.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei on Sunday characterised the latest US counterproposal as being “in line with their previous proposals concerning nuclear issues”.
“We have clearly indicated that we are focusing on the issue of the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, adding that reopening the waterway required “an end to the disruptions to Iranian commercial maritime traffic and the lifting of sanctions”.
The United States and Israel have characterised the war as necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons — a goal Tehran has long denied pursuing — though the focus soon shifted to reopening the Strait of Hormuz after its closure sent shockwaves through global energy markets.
The United States has not struck Iran since September 1, but it has recently pursued a fresh military build-up in the region.
US media outlet Axios reported that Washington had deployed additional Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to help protect key energy facilities from possible Iranian retaliation.
It also reported that the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and its strike group were heading to the Middle East, where they could join two other US carrier strike groups already in the region.
Axios reported that senior Trump administration officials met on Friday to discuss the war in Iran, as well as the conflict in Yemen, where the Tehran-backed Houthis have been fighting government forces and attacking Saudi Arabia.