OddsFrontIran says deal with US remains distant as Tehran braces for post-midterm strikes
A senior Iranian official told Reuters the two sides are far apart on ending the war, while Tehran warns of a forceful response if Washington resumes attacks once the US midterm vote is over.
Iran and the United States are still far from an agreement to end their war, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday, as mediators step up efforts to avert a return to full-scale fighting once the US midterm elections are over.
The official said Tehran's conditions would have to be met before the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, and that negotiations on nuclear issues could begin only after that. Iran, he added, would not accept what he called excessive American demands, and would answer any US strikes forcefully, both in the region and further afield.
Strikes and a downed drone
The warning came after a tense night. Reuters reported that US forces hit targets on Iran's Qeshm island in what Washington described as defensive action. A US official said the strikes were aimed at surface-to-air missiles that had been used against American assets. The Revolutionary Guards said separately that they had shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the eastern approaches to the Strait of Hormuz.
Qatari mediators arrived in Tehran on Monday night to discuss a version of a draft US-Iran agreement, which the official said has been under negotiation for eight days. He said the mediators were working hard to close the gaps between the two capitals.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Iran had given a “strong and rational response” to Washington and that the next move belonged to the Americans. He warned that Iran would not submit to threats and that its reaction to any US miscalculation would be unpredictable and not bound by geography.
Trump hedges, regional talks continue
President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was unsure he would follow through on his threat to resume strikes after the midterms, adding that he believed Tehran wanted a deal as soon as possible, according to Reuters.
Diplomacy is also running at the regional level. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said talks with Saudi Arabia are continuing, with Tehran seeking new security arrangements for Gulf-area states that do not involve foreign military forces.
Last week, senior figures from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan travelled to Tehran. Reuters described it as the first contact at that level between Iran and the three countries since August. Riyadh said the aim was to open channels that could stop military escalation from returning.
Wider conflict
The war began in late February as a joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran and has since spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Reuters reported that fighting between Saudi forces and the Iran-aligned Houthis has sharpened in recent weeks, with the group pushing toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major shipping chokepoint on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula from Hormuz.
The Houthis have also struck Saudi oil installations and airports, among them Riyadh's international airport, disrupting flights and oil exports. Saudi Arabia has answered with air strikes on Yemen.
It remains unclear whether the exchange of messages through intermediaries can close the gaps before Washington decides on any resumption of military action after the vote.