Iran says negotiations, not force, are needed to end conflict with US
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiations based on fairness were the only path to ending the conflict with the United States, as talks appeared stalled over Tehran’s efforts to control shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. A maritime agency separately reported damage to a tanker after an unidentified projectile strike.
Iran’s foreign minister has said the conflict with the United States cannot be resolved through military action or further sanctions, as negotiations over the war and the Strait of Hormuz appeared to remain deadlocked. Abbas Araghchi said Iran would respond more forcefully if its opponents resumed military confrontation. He told foreign ambassadors that an end to the conflict required negotiations based on what he called justice and fairness.
The dispute has centred on Iran’s attempt to restrict shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a major route for Gulf oil and gas. Iran has attacked vessels trying to pass without its authorisation, while the United States has imposed a counterblockade on Iranian ports and struck ships it accuses of breaching it. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Sunday that a tanker had reported being hit by an unknown projectile, damaging its engine room.
The crew were safe and there was no reported environmental impact. The agency did not identify the vessel’s origin or destination, specify when the incident occurred, or say whether it carried oil or liquefied natural gas. Iranian and US officials held indirect discussions last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Tehran said it had submitted seven conditions for reopening the waterway, including a regional ceasefire, the release of frozen Iranian assets, removal of sanctions on its oil sector and an end to the US naval blockade. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran was reviewing the US response through its internal channels. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the latest US counterproposal remained focused on nuclear issues, while Iran’s priority was the Strait of Hormuz, including the restoration of Iranian commercial maritime traffic and sanctions relief.
Iran’s president appointed National Iranian Oil Company chief Hamid Bovard as acting oil minister after Mohsen Paknejad resigned, according to a statement carried by Iranian state media. The change came as the country reported growing queues at petrol stations amid the conflict.
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