Iran Calls for Negotiations, Not War

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that there is no military solution to the US‑Iran conflict and that only negotiations based on justice and fairness can end the dispute. He warned that if the US chooses military confrontation, Iran would respond with stronger force.

Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until seven conditions set out in a June interim agreement are met. These conditions include a Middle East ceasefire, unfreezing Iranian assets abroad, lifting sanctions on Iran’s oil sector, and ending the US naval blockade.

While the US has not struck Iran since September 1, it has increased its military presence in the region, deploying Patriot batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar and moving the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group to the Middle East. Iran’s army has upgraded missile ranges, and the country’s oil minister Mohsen Paknejad resigned, with Hamid Bovard appointed as acting minister.