Iran said on Sunday that military action would not resolve its conflict with the United States, as the two sides remain divided over the conditions of reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the remarks to foreign ambassadors on Sunday, warning that Tehran would respond with greater force if its opponents resumed military confrontation.
“There is no military solution, nor any solution based on new sanctions,” Araghchi said in an Agence France-Presse report.
He added that “only negotiations based on justice and fairness” could stop the war.
Dispute over key shipping route
A US-led campaign of bombardment, launched alongside Israel in late February, failed to bring a decisive end to the conflict, while Washington has shifted recently towards economic pressure.
Since then, however, the war has appeared to stall.
Negotiations remained deadlocked over Iran’s attempt to restrict access to the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for global oil and gas shipments.
Iran has sought to impose control over the waterway since the start of the war, targeting vessels that attempt to pass through without its approval.
But the US has responded with a counterblockade of Iranian ports and strikes on vessels it accuses of breaching the restrictions.
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Negotiation efforts
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said reopening the Strait of Hormuz required “an end to the disruptions to Iranian commercial maritime traffic and the lifting of sanctions.”
The spokesman also said on Sunday that the latest US counterproposal was consistent with Washington’s previous proposals on nuclear issues.
“We have clearly indicated that we are focusing on the issue of the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
Iranian and US officials held indirect talks last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, where Tehran presented seven conditions for reopening the strait.
These included a ceasefire across the Middle East, the unfreezing of Iranian assets overseas, the lifting of oil sanctions and an end to the US naval blockade.
US President Donald Trump rejected the proposals, but indicated that further talks or renewed military action remained possible.
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Tanker hit in Strait of Hormuz
The dispute over the waterway has also affected maritime security.
On Sunday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that a tanker travelling through the strait had been hit by an unknown projectile, damaging its engine room.
No injuries were reported among the crew, and the incident did not cause environmental damage, according to AFP.
The agency also did not disclose when the incident occurred, the vessel’s origin or destination, or whether it was an oil tanker or liquefied natural gas carrier.
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