Iran’s foreign minister said on Sunday that there is no military solution to the war with the United States, as talks to end it appeared stuck. Abbas Araghchi spoke at a gathering of foreign ambassadors in Tehran.
“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,” he said. “There is no military solution, nor any solution based on new sanctions.” Only negotiations built on justice and fairness could end the conflict, he added.
A tanker is hit
The same day, Britain’s maritime security agency UKMTO said a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz had been struck by an unknown projectile that damaged its engine room. The crew were reported safe and no environmental impact was recorded. The agency did not give the date of the incident, the vessel’s origin or destination, or whether it was an oil tanker or an LNG carrier.
Before the war, about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passed through the strait. Iran has tried to control the waterway since the fighting began, hitting vessels it accuses of crossing without permission. The United States has set up a counterblockade of Iranian ports and has struck ships it says tried to slip past it.
Hours earlier, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the strait would stay shut until Iran’s seven conditions, rooted in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, are met. Iran’s Nournews carried his remarks. He said the time for dragging out the process and dictating one-sided demands was over. Araghchi said a plan from Tehran could see the strait reopen within seven days if Washington accepted it.
Talks and a failed deal
The United States and Israel launched the war on February 28. A campaign of heavy bombardment did not bring it to a decisive end, and Washington has recently shifted toward economic pressure over military operations. A June memorandum was meant to frame a permanent settlement, but the deal collapsed, largely over Hormuz.
Iranian and US officials held indirect talks last week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where Tehran said it presented its seven conditions for reopening the strait. President Trump rejected the proposal while leaving open both further talks and renewed military action.
Sources
- Tanker hit in Hormuz as Iran warns no military solution to end war
- ‘There is no military solution’ to end war, Iran tells US
